A drug dealer has been jailed for 26 years for the attempted murder of a woman in Newham.

Osei Kuffour, 25, was found guilty of shooting the 36-year-old victim in the face at her home in the morning of December 11, 2012.

Jurors at the Old Bailey heard how the woman regularly brought drugs from him and on that morning, there had been an exchange of words before he shot her with a revolver hand gun from less than a metre away.

The bullet lodged behind her cheekbone, requiring emergency surgery and months of medical treatment for her serious injuries.

On the same day, Kuffour, of Dock Road, Tilbury, was arrested as part of a proactive operation when he was found in possession of a large amount of money and with Class A drugs between his buttocks.

Further enquiries saw the recovery of the firearm used in the shooting.

The trial also saw him found guilty of possessing a prohibited weapon and ammunition as well as two counts of possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply.

Yesterday he was sentenced to spend time in prison for all offences, which are to run concurrently.

Det Insp Dave Coxell, from Newham’s Firearms and Gangs unit, said: “Osei Kuffour viciously and deliberately attacked a vulnerable woman in broad daylight outside her home in E16, with every intention of ending her life in a callous and violent manner.

“It is only to the victim’s credit that she has recovered to the extent that she has, and was able to bravely give evidence against her attacker.

“This lengthy sentence of Osei Kuffour sends a clear and powerful message to everyone concerned in drugs and gun crime that we will find you, prosecute you and we will put you in prison.”