Two bungling hitmen are facing jail after one accidentally shot the other before they could carry out their planned attack. The would-be shooters were parked up in a stolen vehicle when driver Adam Liaqat fired in error, leaving accomplice Adad Khan writhing in agony in the passenger seat.
Injured Accomplice Seeks Hospital Treatment
Khan, 22, was forced to take a taxi to hospital for treatment to serious leg injuries, where he claimed not to know how he had been hurt. Unconvinced by his vague explanations, West Midlands Police's Major Crime Team (MCT) launched an investigation to establish what had occurred.
Discovery of the Botched Plot
The team discovered the men had used a Mitsubishi Outlander to travel to St Paul's Road in Smethwick, West Midlands, where the gun went off just before 4.30am on 23 November last year. The vehicle had been stolen from Rowley Regis, three miles away, the previous evening. Khan was arrested when he was medically fit to be questioned, and his mobile phone was seized. Officers uncovered a message between Khan and someone else indicating that he and Liaqat were on their way to conduct a shooting prior to their mishap.
Drugs and Further Arrests
A search at Khan's address later recovered crack cocaine. Liaqat was arrested on 2 December following a pursuit with a Honda Accord, which he was driving despite only holding a provisional licence. His passenger was Yakuba Sawaneh, and items including Class A drugs and a burner phone were thrown from the windows as the car was pursued and then stopped in Oldbury, West Midlands.
Convictions and Sentencing
The three men, all from the West Midlands, went on trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court and were convicted last Thursday (21 May). Liaqat, aged 19, of Sandwell, was found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply. He also pleaded guilty to driving offences. Khan, of West Bromwich, was found guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of Class A drugs. Sawaneh, 19, of Perry Common, Birmingham, was found guilty of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply. They are due to be sentenced on 30 July.
Police Comment
DC Emily Fowler, from the MCT, said: 'Through our enquiries we established Khan and Liaqat were in the stolen vehicle with a gun. There were messages which indicated they were on their way to shoot someone themselves, although we don't know who that was. At some point, while the car was parked, the gun has gone off and Khan has been injured and the inside of the vehicle damaged. Khan made his own way to hospital and we started to establish exactly what happened. The pair had clearly put in a lot of pre-planning and preparation as a gun and ammunition had been acquired, and a car stolen and put on false plates. However, it went wrong when Liaqat appears to have accidentally shot Khan. Lives could have been lost as a result of Liaqat and Khan arming themselves with a gun, including Khan's own. Illegally-owned weapons in the wrong hands can be extremely dangerous. It's clear Liaqat, Khan and Sawaneh were all linked to drugs and he has also rightly been convicted for his illegal activity too. All three face losing their freedom and spending time behind bars.'
