Two West Midlands men given lengthy sentences after New Year's Day shooting in city centre

Christ Lidiu and Exauce Mazebo, aged 26 and 24 respectively, have both been jailed for their part in the shooting of a man in Birmingham city centre on New Year's Day in 2024.

The pair were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court today following an incident near Constitution Hill where another man in his 20s was chased through the city centre.

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During the chase, the victim, a man in his 20s, had even attempted to run into a passing car, where he sustained a gunshot wound to his shoulder.

Following the shooting, Lidiu fled the scene in a getaway car that was driven by his accomplice, Exauce Mazebo, and following a speedy investigation, police traced them both to a Seat Leon four days later. 

Lidiu was later arrested in Solihull, while Mazebo was detained after officers executed a firearms warrant at an address in Erdington. 

During the police enquiries, officers reviewed CCTV footage and phone records to establish that both men were in the Constitution Hill area earlier in the evening, prior to the shooting. 

They were both involved in a brawl and then travelled back to Lidiu's home, where they collected a gun and returned to the scene. Luckily, the victim's injuries were not life-threatening. 

Following their arrests, officers recovered clothing which matched CCTV of what the offenders were wearing during the early hours of New Year's Day. 

Mazebo was also found to have attempted to hide his mobile phone in a freezer, and messages revealed plans to leave Birmingham following the shooting. 

Both men denied any involvement in the incident, but were both convicted of attempted murder following a trial. 

Lidiu, aged 26, of Bridgelands Way, Perry Barr, was jailed for 27 years, whilst Mazebo, aged 24, of New Heart Road, West Bromwich, was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Detective Inspector Francis Nock, from the force's Major Crime Unit, said: "Lidiu and Mazebo have quite rightly been put behind bars for a significant amount of time.

"It was thanks to the fast-paced, but thorough, work of our officers that we were able to quickly identify them as being involved in the shooting, which on another occasion could have been a murder. 

"Guns ruin lives, and we're working day in, day out, to take weapons off the streets and prosecute those involved in possessing, supplying or using them."