Two men have received combined prison terms of 15 years after an alleged hitman scheme unravelled when one of them accidentally shot his accomplice in the leg.
Adam Liaqat, 19, mistakenly discharged a firearm and struck 23-year-old Asad Khan, causing injuries that will permanently affect his life.
The pair had been sitting in a parked vehicle in the early hours of November 23, reportedly preparing to carry out a planned attack, when the shooting happened.
Khan later took a taxi to hospital and told medical staff he did not know how he had been injured. His account raised suspicions, however, prompting West Midlands Police’s Major Crime Team to launch an investigation.
Detectives established that the men had travelled in a Mitsubishi Outlander to St Paul’s Road in Smethwick, West Midlands. Shortly before 4.30am, the gun was fired inside the vehicle, leaving Khan in agony in the passenger seat. The Outlander had been stolen from Rowley Regis, around three miles away, the night before.
After undergoing surgery, Khan, from West Bromwich, was arrested once doctors deemed him fit enough to be detained. Police also seized his mobile phone.
Liaqat, from Sandwell in the West Midlands, was arrested on December 2 after police pursued a Honda Accord he was driving despite holding only a provisional licence.
During the pursuit, Liaqat and passenger Yakuba Sawaneh, from Perry Common, Birmingham, threw items from the car windows, including Class A drugs and a burner phone. Officers eventually stopped the vehicle and arrested both men.
Asad Khan, 23, was shot in the leg by his accomplice in the botched plot and has been jailed for 13 years.
Adam Liaqat, 19, fired the shot while travelling as a passenger in the stolen vehicle. He is due to be sentenced at a later date.
Yakuba Sawaneh, 19, was jailed for 42 months for possession of class A drugs heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply
Day of the Jackass: The damaged Mitsubishi after it was pierced by a bullet when Liaqat’s gun accidentally went off
During the investigation, officers discovered a message between Khan and someone else which indicated he and Liaqat were on their way to conduct a shooting prior to their mishap.
A search was later carried out at Khan’s address and crack cocaine was recovered.
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The weapon used on the night of the shooting has never been recovered.
At sentencing today, Khan was jailed for 13 years for possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of a class A drug cocaine and being carried in conveyance without authority, as well as driving offences.
Sawaneh was jailed for 42 months for possession of class A drugs heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply.
Liaqat will be sentenced at a later date.
DC Emily Fowler said previously: ‘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.’