Two men have been jailed for a combined 28 years after their planned shooting attack collapsed when one accidentally shot the other. Adam Liaqat, 19, and Asad Khan, 22, were convicted following an investigation by West Midlands Police's Major Crime Team.
Botched attack in Smethwick
The pair had parked in St Paul's Road, Smethwick, West Midlands, at around 4.30am on November 23 last year. Police said they had "put in a lot of pre-planning and preparation" for the shooting. While sitting in a 4x4, the firearm went off, damaging the car and seriously injuring Khan, who was shot in the leg. The duo abandoned their plan, and Khan took a taxi to hospital, where he initially claimed he did not know what had happened.
Detectives launched an investigation and found messages on Khan's phone suggesting the pair were attempting to carry out a hit. Detective Constable Emily Fowler, of West Midlands Police, 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."
Investigation and arrests
A later raid of Khan's house uncovered crack cocaine. Officers also found the Mitsubishi Outlander they had used had been stolen the night before and fitted with false plates. Fowler added: "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."
Liaqat was arrested days later after leading police on a pursuit in a Honda Accord despite only holding a provisional licence. His passenger, Yakuba Sawaneh, 19, was with him when officers saw Class A drugs and a burner phone being thrown from the vehicle before it was stopped in Oldbury, West Midlands.
Sentences handed down
All three men went on trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court and were convicted in May. Liaqat, of Sandwell, was jailed for 15 years for possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and Class A drug dealing offences. Khan, of West Bromwich, was jailed for 13 years for possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of Class A drugs. Sawaneh, of Perry Common, Birmingham, was jailed for 42 months for possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply.
Fowler said: "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 and it's why we're taking action all year-round to tackle gun crime and find offenders."
