Three men have each been jailed for 23 years for attempted murder after two children in a playground were hit by bullets fired during a drug-related feud.
Kian Durnin, Martino De-Sousa and Tireq McIntosh were all in a stolen Ford Focus from which shots were fired towards a girl aged 11 and a 15-year-old boy as they played in Shelley Road, Wolverhampton, on May 1 this year.
Prosecutors said the children were in the line of fire of a “murderous” feud between rival groups, which then triggered a high-speed car chase through the city “straight from the movie director’s script”.
Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court were shown CCTV footage of Durnin, the driver of the car, and McIntosh, in the front seat, both leaning out of the window and firing shots towards members of a rival group, with De-Sousa in the back seat.
Durnin, 22, of Milton Road, De-Sousa, 24, of Deansfield Road, and McIntosh, 23, of Valley Road, all in Wolverhampton, were all convicted last week of attempting to murder a person unknown and aggravated vehicle-taking after more than 28 hours of deliberation by jurors.
Jailing the defendants on Wednesday, Mr Justice Sweeting said they had set out on an “armed expedition” intent on finding members of a rival group.
Without leaving the vehicle, you McIntosh and you Durnin opened fire. At least six bullets were fired. It must have been apparent to you that the playground was in your line of fire
The judge said: “You intended to kill one or more of them if you found them.
“You armed yourself with two handguns and ammunition. You wore dark clothing and balaclavas.
“Without leaving the vehicle, you McIntosh and you Durnin opened fire. At least six bullets were fired.
“It must have been apparent to you that the playground was in your line of fire.
“Although you each played different roles, you were equally involved.”
During the offences and the ensuing car chase, the judge said, the men had intended to kill and had shown a “callous disregard for the lives of anyone who might get in the way”.
All three defendants were banned from driving for five years for aggravated vehicle-taking, and told they will have to serve two-thirds of their 23-year sentences before being released on licence.
The trial was told both children, who cannot be identified due to a court order, were hit in the leg by bullets but recovered after being treated in hospital.
Durnin and McIntosh both denied being in the Ford Focus at the time of the shooting, which prosecutors said then led to an armed high-speed chase involving rivals in a Mini Cooper, who were the intended targets of the shooting.
A man on an electric bike, a Peugeot and a Seat Leon also joined the chase through north-east Wolverhampton.
A bullet fired from one of the chasing vehicles blew out the Focus’ back windscreen and was found lodged in the headrest.
Prosecutor Tim Cray KC told jurors that while the motive of the shooting remained unknown, the injuries to the children were a consequence of a “planned attack on rivals, caring absolutely nothing for the public”, caused by a feud between “two armed groups existing cheek by jowl with each other”.
In a victim impact statement read to the court by the prosecutor in the case, the mother of the 11-year-old girl said: “Everything changed forever that day – our life as we know it was turned upside down.
“We have lived and breathed this every day since it happened.”
Other relatives of the girl also submitted statements to the court, saying counsellors had supported the family through what had been a “nightmare” period.
The girl’s grandfather stated: “The impact on the family has been immense. Nobody can believe that this has happened.
“I would never have believed this could happen to an 11-year-old.”
