Two men who plotted a contract murder in the UK on the orders of 'Dubai's Mr Big' have been jailed for life.
The unnamed victim was left fighting for his life after the "movie-like" assassination attempt in the Sheldon area of Birmingham left him with gunshot wounds to his face, arm and hand.
He was shot five times when a gunman - who has never been identified - knocked on his door disguised as a Tesco worker and asked his partner if they were expecting a delivery.
Craig Miller, 37, and Connor Palmer, 40, were both sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday after previously being convicted of conspiracy to murder at Birmingham Crown Court.
Palmer was ordered to serve a minimum of 23 years, and Miller 30 years. Group member Elijah Stokes, 38, who the judge described as the pair's "trusted lieutenant", was also jailed for 27 years.
Jurors were told the group had arranged the hit for a fee of £100,000 after their target had owed money to a high-level UK drug dealer, who is currently living in Dubai.
Stokes arranged for the car and gun to be delivered to the hitman, and the victim’s partner had opened the door in May 2020 to their home to find a man in a Tesco jacket, high-vis vest and black ski mask.
The unidentified attacker asked if she was "expecting a delivery" and said “he’s here, isn’t he”, before walking into the house and opening fire at the man.
A young child was in the house at the time but was thankfully not injured by the hail of bullets during the botched murder attempt. The victim meanwhile spent a week receiving intensive care with life threatening injuries, and it had not been possible to remove the bullets from his body.
The court was told the group was caught after police cracked their Encrochat, an encrypted global communication service used exclusively by criminals.
Detectives found the dealer in Dubai had told Miller he wanted another man to be killed in the weeks after the attack.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Pepperall said: "The victim came into view in the hallway and the gunman then pursued his prey as he attempted to escape in the front room. Five bullets hit him.
"I am sure that that you Palmer and Miller were professional hitmen working together with another man.
"You were each prepared to kill to order for a fee of £100,000.
"You went about your business with ruthless efficiency showing no compassion whatsoever to your victim.
"He only survived due to the ineptitude of the gunman and extraordinary good luck.
"You were embarrassed that the hit had been bungled."
The judge described all three as "very dangerous men".
Detective Inspector Gemma Currie, of West Midlands Police, said: “The messages we uncovered as part of this investigation make for truly chilling reading and are like something from a movie.
“It was a miracle that the victim of the shooting in Sheldon survived.
"It was thanks to the EncroChat breakthrough that we were unable to unravel this conspiracy to murder.
“The gang thought that they were able to communicate securely about their murderous plans.
"But thanks to the international law enforcement community, we were able to show exactly what they were planning and how they planned it.”
