Judge offers gunmen who nearly killed children chance to 'return to crime-free life' after 23 year sentences
Three friends who graduated from petty crimes to gangland shoot-outs and high speed chases through the streets of Wolverhampton were just millimetres away from receiving full life sentences.
Sentencing Kian Durnin, 22, Tireq McIntosh, 23, and Martinho De Sousa, 24, to 23 years each for attempted murder, Justice Derek Sweeting, made it clear they could have been jailed for a lot longer if not for pure chance.
The three met on Friday, May 1 at the New Park Valley Estate with murder on their mind. Arming themselves with two handguns and ammunition and wearing dark clothes and balaclavas, they decided to track down a rival group of drug dealers.
Durnin had stolen a Ford Focus two days before and with McIntosh in the front and De Sousa in the back they drove round looking for their prey, stopping off at several addresses. However, they spotted a Mini Cooper in the car park of Bushbury Park and immediately put their plan in action.
They reversed towards the entrance of the park to allow a quick getaway and then McIntosh and Durnin took aim at six men and then fired their handguns out of their respective passenger and driver windows.
Six little metal merchants of death flew into the air and within seconds two children were lying on the floor in agony.
Judge Sweeting lambasted the trio for bringing their gangland feud to a peaceful children's playground on a Friday afternoon.
He said: "It must have been apparent to you that the playground was in your line of fire. It was about 60m away. There was a climbing frame on which a young girl was sitting. She was 11 years old and had come to the park to play with her friends on the bank holiday. One of the bullets, from your handgun Durnin, hit her at the top of her left thigh.
"The 15-year-old may have been part of the group you attacked. He was 15 years old and riding on an electric bike. Because he was wearing a balaclava it is unlikely that you would have been able to distinguish him from the others. One of the bullets, from your handgun McIntosh, hit him just below the left knee.
"It was entirely a matter of chance that neither were not killed or injured more seriously."
