Toni-Ann Byfield was shot dead in a London flat last September alongside Bertram Byfield - a crack dealer who she thought was her father.

Police have described her death as "an assassination that involved the ruthless execution of a seven-year-old girl."

They also believe Byfield was involved with a "large" drugs cartel.

'Lively girl'

Police are not ruling out the possibility that his shooting had been ordered from Jamaica.

Byfield had quite a lot of contact with Toni-Ann, who was sometimes placed with his friends and associates, said police.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Basu, senior investigating officer with the Metropolitan Police, said it was likely Toni-Ann knew the person or persons who called at the house that day and could identify them.

Speaking at a news conference in Birmingham on Thursday he said: "She was a bright, lively, articulate girl. She could have given away the identity of the killers,"

He said: "No matter what has been said today, I would like the public to bear in mind that the person responsible for her death is the person who pulled the trigger that morning and the person who ordered it to happen.

"You must help me catch those people because if they can do this they are capable of anything."

He urged anyone with information about the incident to come forward and sought to reassure them their identity would be protected.