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.

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.’

A South Sudanese teenager who piloted an overcrowded “super-dinghy” carrying a then record number of migrants across the English Channel has been jailed.

Chan Atak, 19, was steering a poor-quality rigid inflatable boat carrying more than 160 people from France into British waters on July 23.

At the time, it was the largest number of migrants unlawfully brought to the UK in a small boat. That record has since been overtaken by a dinghy carrying 230 people last month.

Atak received an immediate prison sentence of two years and three months after admitting a charge of endangering lives at sea.

Sentencing him at Canterbury Crown Court today, Her Honour Judge Sarah Counsell said: ‘Those who take responsibility at the helm of the boat take on the responsibility for the safety of its passengers.

‘The risks of continuing the journey in an overcrowded boat in the state that it was in, without appropriate experience of navigating, would have been obvious.’

The court was told that Atak had applied for asylum in the UK after fleeing his home country. However, the judge said: ‘Sadly your circumstances are not unusual amongst those who seek to cross the Channel and seek asylum in the way that you did.’

The boat was found to be unseaworthy, with just one of its two outboard engines functioning and its inflatable tubing beginning to deflate.

There was a lack of navigation equipment and safety provision, while the life jackets worn by most of the migrants on board were substandard.

The court heard the passengers included 31 children, the youngest being 14 years old, and had taken around 24 hours to complete the journey.

Those on board included nationals from countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Europe.

The judge said: ‘Crossings of this nature are inherently dangerous, the English Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

‘Small inflatable vessels of the type commonly used for these crossings are not designed for offshore sea voyages.

‘Those who choose to steer such vessels assume responsibility for the safety of those on board and expose others to significant risks where that responsibility is exercised in dangerous conditions.

‘Whilst the coastguard and Border Force do all they can to minimise the risk to life by seeking to intercept boats and rescue those on board, sadly their efforts are not always able to avoid injury and death.’

Drone footage appeared to show Atak operating the engine for around 90 minutes, before cutting the power and taking off his distinctive jacket as Border Force officials pulled alongside.

The prosecution said this was an attempt to mix in with other migrants and avoid detection as the pilot.

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Prosecutor James Harrison, said: ‘In interview, the defendant said he had paid 200 euro (£170) to a gang for the crossing but did not direct the tiller at any point during that crossing.

‘He specifically denied that he was wearing the jacket with the distinctive Italia logo.

‘When it was put to him that he had been seen to discard his jacket, he answered ‘No comment’.

He added: ‘Your Honour’s experience will tell you from cases of this type that the Channel’s tides and currents are a challenge to navigate, particularly in a vessel of this type, not manufactured perhaps to standards required to undertake such a crossing.’

Audrey Mogan, defending, said her client was at the helm but had nothing to do with the seaworthiness of the vessel, or the number of occupants.

She said: ‘Save for the fact he was piloting, there is not a single other shred of evidence to suggest that as (a 19-year-old) from South Sudan that he had anything to do with the number of people that ended up on that boat, that he had anything to do with the state of the dinghy, the fact that there were not life jackets or that those life jackets were inadequate, the lack of first aid equipment or flares.’

She said Atak, aided in court by an Arabic translator, was forcibly recruited by a militia in his homeland, but was able to flee via Libya, where he was beaten and forced into labour, and then Italy and France.

She said her client is a Christian and came to the UK ‘to seek sanctuary and safety’.

She added: ‘What we are talking about here is someone who has escaped the horrors of South Sudan.

‘Mr Atak was living in South Sudan where war has been raging for many years.

‘He was captured by a militia and effectively they raided a neighbourhood, set fire to it, he had seen people shot and their throats slashed, and he was then taken and forcibly recruited but was able to escape.’

The length of his sentence means he will be recommended for deportation from the UK.

However, lawyers may argue it is against his human rights to deport him from the country due to political instability and violence in South Sudan.

John Turner, senior investigating officer of the National Crime Agency, said: ‘Chan Atak was unimaginably reckless and his actions could have easily resulted in many deaths had this boat not been intercepted.

‘Not only did he place the lives of 165 migrants in severe peril, this flimsy vessel was entirely unsuitable for crossing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

‘Combating the threat posed by the networks involved in organised immigration crime is one of our biggest priorities, and we currently have more than 100 investigations ongoing.’

Border security minister Anna Turley added: ‘Today’s sentencing rightly puts this evil criminal behind bars, and he joins 16 other pilots sentenced in just three months for endangering lives with flimsy, overcrowded dinghies.

‘This is a stark reminder of the ruthless acts used by smuggling gangs to exploit desperate people for profit, but today shows there is nowhere for them to hide.

‘With arrests for immigration crime surging, and the lowest number of small boat arrivals over the summer since 2020, we are making progress. We will be relentless in bearing down on these dangerous and illegal crossings.’

The 165 migrants on Atak’s dinghy represented nearly half of the 366 people to have made the journey across the English Channel by so-called small boats that day.

More than 17,000 migrants have arrived illegally via the Channel so far this year.

An 18-year-old asylum seeker has been jailed for life after travelling more than 150 miles from Leeds to Westminster and fatally stabbing a man he believed had been messaging his cousin’s wife.

Sulaiman Tajzai admitted murdering 26-year-old Farmanullah Sherzad at the Old Bailey earlier this month.

CCTV captured Tajzai purchasing a knife near his Leeds home on March 27 before making the journey to Mr Sherzad’s Westminster address, where the killing took place.

Judge Angela Rafferty KC on Friday handed Tajzai a life sentence, ordering that he serve at least 25 years for murder and possessing a bladed weapon.

The judge said Tajzai had tracked down Mr Sherzad “like prey” before launching an “exceptionally violent” and “savage” public attack. Mr Sherzad was stabbed at least 10 times, she said.

Tajzai had developed a “personal grudge” against the victim, wrongly believing that Mr Sherzad was a member of the Taliban and had pursued his cousin’s wife in an attempt to have sex with her.

The court heard that the Taliban had previously abducted Tajzai’s father and was believed to have killed him.

But in victim impact statements, Mr Sherzad’s family and friends remembered him as a “friendly, polite, respectful person” who was consistently well-mannered and tolerant.

The court heard how he loved cricket, was a ‘very good fast bowler’ and was also hard-working, often working six or seven days a week.

Prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC said Tajzai had claimed to be aged 14 when he entered the UK in August 2022, going on to claim asylum the following year.

Frida Hussain, KC, defending, said he was suffering post traumatic stress disorder from exposure to frequent violence in his village and the death of relatives.

In March this year, then aged 18, he killed Mr Sherzad outside his home in Westminster after his family were told by police the victim would not be charged with stalking his cousin’s wife.

In October last year, police had attended the home of the Tajzai’s cousin and wife in Leeds, and found Mr Sherzad sitting on the floor with his wrists tied together with fabric and no shoes on.

Mr Sherzad was arrested on suspicion of stalking and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence, the court heard.

However, he went on to tell police he was in a relationship with the wife who had invited him to visit her in Leeds via social media platform Snapchat, the court was told.

Following his release, Tajzai’s cousin and his wife contacted the police multiple times and were later told there would be ‘no further action’ against Mr Sherzad.

In January, Tajzai travelled to London to carry out reconnaissance near the convenience store where Mr Sherzad worked in south London and his home address.

On the day of the killing, he armed himself with a kitchen knife and travelled by train from Leeds to London.

He was caught on CCTV arriving at London’s King’s Cross station wearing a medical facemask, a distinctive jacket and dark gloves and was tracked on footage walking across London before reaching Mr Sherzad’s home in Abbey Orchard Street.

Mr Sherzad left work at 10pm and cycled home where Tajzai was waiting for him.

He arrived 15 minutes later, and security camera footage showed a scuffle near Mr Sherzad’s house, and that he ran ‘screaming for his life’ as Tajzai attacked him, Lisa Wilding KC said.

Tajzai then ran away from the scene and dropped a pair of black gloves near St James’ Park. Mr Sherzad’s blood was found on the gloves and DNA inside them was linked to Tajzai, forensic investigators found.

Mr Sherzad suffered several stab wounds and died 20 minutes later despite the efforts of medical staff.  

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The murderer tried to catch a train back to Leeds from King’s Cross station; however, he missed it and got onto another one just after 6am the following day.

He was arrested at his cousin’s house in Leeds on March 29, and police officers searched the address, seizing multiple items belonging to him, including a pair of blood-stained trainers.

CCTV footage revealed that Tajzai had travelled to London in the weeks before the attack to scope out Mr Sherzad’s home address and where he worked, the police said.

Jurors also heard Tajzai briefly spoke with the shopkeeper who sold him the knife 

Irshad Ahmed, who worked behind the till, said in a statement: ‘I know most of the customers of the shop because they are mostly local people.

‘I asked him, “Are you Pashto?” He said yes. I asked him this question in Pashto language, and he replied in Pashto.

‘I asked him, “Are you new in this area?” He said, “Yes, I was accommodated in this area by social housing.”

‘I asked if he wanted a cup of tea but he said no,’ adding: ‘When he was in the shop he was normal.’     

In a statement issued after Tajzai pleaded guilty, Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, who led the investigation, said: ‘This is a devastating case in which a young man lost his life after being subjected to a brutal and senseless act of violence.

‘No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one in such circumstances.’ 

Passing sentence, the judge said: ‘In the months before this date the jury heard evidence that you had stalked Mr Sherzad and had travelled to London to do reconnaissance as to where he lived and worked.

‘On one of these occasions, you followed him and found out his daily routine. You were effectively stalking him down like prey.

‘You had a grudge against him based on a false suggestion of misconduct towards a female you are connected with.

‘It is not said on your behalf, nor could it be, that you had any justifiable or excusable grievance against this man.’

The judge continued: ‘Mr Sherzad’s last moments were spent in terror and anguish that can only be imagined.

‘This was an exceptionally violent knife attack Mr Sherzad suffered at least 10 external stab wounds together with multiple deep slash wounds to the face, neck, chest, back and arms.’

In a statement, the victim’s family said: ‘We as a family are utterly devastated and heartbroken by the sudden and horrific murder of Farmanullah. 

‘His life was taken from him in the most cruel and senseless circumstances, leaving a void that can never be filled.

‘Farmanullah was a kind, gentle and free-spirited man. He was someone who would not hurt a fly. He lived his life peacefully, treated others with respect and sought only to live in harmony with those around him.

‘It is almost impossible for us to comprehend that someone so harmless and kind has been taken from us in such a violent and tragic way.

‘We are deeply shocked and angered by the circumstances surrounding his death. If, as we understand, this was a calculated, heinous and premeditated act, then the enormity of what has happened cannot be overstated.

‘A human life has been deliberately taken, and a family has been left to live with unimaginable grief and loss.

‘No family should ever have to endure the pain that we are experiencing. No innocent life should be taken in such circumstances.’