A DRUG dealer who tried to murder a woman is behind bars.

Osei Kuffour, 25, of Dock Road, Tilbury, was sentenced to 26 years in prison for shooting the 36-year-old victim in the face and lodged behind her cheek bone.

The pair were meeting up for a drug deal in Newham, on December 11, 2012, when, after a brief conversation, Kuffour pulled out a revolver and shot her from only a metre away.

Detective Inspector 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. I would like to thank my Newham Firearms & Gangs Unit who has worked unceasingly to bring this violent offender to justice.”

The woman suffered serious injuries and underwent emergency surgery. She has to go through months of treatment and more major surgery to restore her bone structure.

Kuffour was arrested the same day after Newham’s Firearms and Gangs Unit launched a search.

He was discovered with a large amount of cash and Class A drugs between his buttocks.

Kuffour denied attempting to murder the woman but a jury found him guilty.