Trio of gunmen who shot children in Wolverhampton playground jailed for 69 years
Three gun-toting gangsters who mistakenly shot two children in a playground during a shoot-out have been jailed for a combined 69 years.
The 11-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy were at a playground in Bushbury when they were hit by stray bullets fired from a stolen Ford Focus on May 1.
Gunmen Kian Durnin, aged 22, who was driving, with Tireq McIntosh, 23, in the front passenger seat, both fired shots with different guns, at a Mini Cooper. However, their woeful aim led to the children being hit by bullets.
While Martinho De Sousa, aged 24, was a back-seat passenger, of the car which was then involved in a high speed chase with their foes through the streets of Wolverhampton in which shots were fired.
All three, from Wolverhampton, were found guilty of attempted murder after a month long trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
They were sentenced today by Judge Derek Sweeting, who jailed them all for 23 years each. They will be eligible for parole after serving two thirds of the sentence.
Durnin also was sentenced for handling stolen goods, two months, aggravated vehicle theft, for 18 months to run concurrently with his 23-year sentence.
Judge Sweeting said: "The evidence against you was extremely strong. Each of you were in the car for a purpose, you showed a callous disregard for life. It was only by chance there was not a loss of life."
