Thusha was left paralysed for life

Three men were jailed for life on Thursday for a gang-related shooting that left five-year-old Thusha Kamaleswaran paralysed.

Nathaniel Grant, Anthony McCalla and Kazeem Kolawole were hunting down a rival gang member when they shot Thusha Kamaleswaran at her aunt's south London shop in March last year.

They were found guilty last month of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Thusha and shopper Roshan Selvakumar, who was shot in the face, as well as attempted murder of their intended victim Roshaun Bryan.

Grant will serve a minimum of 17 years, and Kolawole and McCalla at least 14 years.

CCTV clips of the moment Thusha was shot were shown at the trial, with the jury warned they may find the scenes disturbing.

Thusha is seen skipping in the aisle, and as the shooting starts, she is surrounded by adults rushing to the front of the shop to see what is happening.

They then retreat to the back of the store to escape the gunfire, to reveal Thusha slumped on the floor.

Her uncle Mahadavan Vikneswaran then grabs her and carries her to the back of the shop.

Thusha twice went into cardiac arrest after a bullet passed through her body during the attack.

It hit her in the chest and then passed through the seventh vertebra of her spine, leaving the little girl, now six, permanently wheelchair-bound.

After spending a year in hospital Thusha's parents couldn't bear to tell her she will never walk again.

Asked what she is looking forward to most, Thusha said: "School, and doing my other dance, and playing." She also said she would like to train as a doctor.

But her mother Sharmila says that she is still "very worried for the future of our daughter" and described her heartbreak at the tragedy.

Thusha's parents have struggled with debt since the tragedy as they try to adapt to her medical needs.

However a group of detectives and police staff were so moved by her tragic situation that they decided to help raise money to support her family.

Already donations to the Met team have reached £125,000, far more than was originally expected.