A father and son who hired a hijab-wearing female assassin to carry out a gun attack have been jailed after their assassination plot was bungled.
Mohammed Aslam, 58, and Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 30, from Derby, orchestrated the attack on a rival family in September 2019.
The suspected would-be killer, a US woman identified during the trial as Aimee Betro, threatened Sikander Ali with a gun and tried to shoot him at a range of six to seven yards but the pistol jammed, allowing him to flee the scene in Measham Grove, Birmingham.
The trial was told Betro travelled from the US to the UK to carry out the revenge attack, for which she allegedly wore a hijab as a disguise.
Betro is yet to face criminal proceedings in the UK as extradition proceedings continue.
It is thought the actual target of the attack was Mr Ali’s father, Aslat Mahumad, who lived close by, and whose home was shot at three times in the upstairs windows later the same night, although it was empty at the time.
Before his home was shot at, an attempt was made to lure Mr Mahumad to meet the group on the pretence of their being interested in buying a car from him, but he did not go.
Birmingham Crown Court heard there had been history of “antagonism and resentment” between the families of the defendants and Mr Mahumad, including a violent confrontation at the latter’s clothing boutique in Alum Rock Road in July 2018, which left both Aslam and Nazir with serious head injuries.
The defendants’ address in Elms Avenue, Derby, was subsequently attacked and the windows smashed. Bent on revenge, they became part of a plan to kill Mr Mahumad or target one of his family.
Judge Simon Drew KC said it was only by sheer chance that no one was killed in the attack as he jailed Nazir for 32 years and Aslam for 10 years for their part in the “complex, well-planned conspiracy”.
He said he was quite satisfied that the violent incident in 2018 was the motivation for the revenge attack the next year, which would have amounted to an execution had the gun not malfunctioned.
Judge Drew said Aslam’s role was largely to drive his son around as he had been disqualified from driving, but said he must have met Betro face-to-face at least once.
There was no reaction from either father or son in the dock at Birmingham Crown Court as they were sentenced, but as they were sent down to the cells, Aslam waved and did a thumbs-up to his family in the public gallery.
Both men were convicted in June of conspiracy to murder, while Nazir was also found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, perverting the course of justice and illegally importing firearms as part of a plan to bring guns into the country and frame a former friend he was feuding with.
Judge Drew said: “Mr Nazir, you had a leading role. Mr Aslam, your role was much less intrinsic to what was taking place and I accept that your primary role was to act as a driver, but also to support your son and you knew what you were supporting him for.
“This was not a spontaneous reaction to events, but a planned revenge attack on Mr Mahumad and his family. In order to conduct that revenge, you, Mohammed Nazir, recruited Aimee Betro.
“It would be overstating the case to call what took place as a contract killing, but evidence suggests Betro was rewarded for taking part in this. There is evidence of a loose relationship between you.
“The two of you (Nazir and Aslam) had done everything you could to encourage and enable her to kill Mr Mahumad or one of his family members.”
Nazir and Betro are believed to have been in contact while she was in the UK and Nazir also flew out to the US four days after Betro left the UK.
The judge ordered that Nazir‘s other sentences – six years for possessing a firearm; five years for perverting the course of justice and two years for illegally importing firearms – should run concurrently.
The father and son must serve at least two-thirds of their sentences before they can be released on licence.
Hannah Sidaway of the Crown Prosecution Service said it was a “methodical and well-planned attack” in which Nazir and Aslam tried to cover their tracks by using an accomplice.
She said: “In the plan to discharge a loaded firearm, their intention to kill was clear. This was a complex investigation involving collaboration between West Midlands and Derbyshire Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the US authorities.
“It involved obtaining evidential material from the US including forensic samples to link the offenders with evidence from the crime scenes.
“These convictions and sentences serve as a reminder of the consequences of using deadly weapons on our streets. We will continue to work with our criminal justice partners to bring such perpetrators to justice.”
Additional reporting by PA
