Three men have been handed lengthy jail terms after a man was shot in the stomach through a window in Salford .
Three shots were fired through the rear patio doors of a house on Cloughfield Avenue in Ordsall last May.
Tony Kelly, 27, Phillip Manning, 31, Bryan Thomas 19, and a fourth, as yet untraced person travelled to Greater Manchester from Merseyside to carry out the 'sophisticated and meticulously planned' attack, a court heard.
Shots were fired from a semi-automatic weapon, such as a pistol or sub machine-gun, at a back door,with one going into the house and hitting a 26-year-old man who was inside the property, Darren Preston, prosecuting, told Manchester Crown Court.
The trio, who had travelled to Salford in a VW Golf with cloned number plates, fled the scene immediately afterwards.
Police were called shortly after the incident, at about 10pm on Saturday May 22, after the shots were heard. When officers arrived they found the victim writhing in agony and clutching his side.
He had a bullet lodged near his spine and was rushed to hospital, where he had to undergo emergency surgery.
He spent six days in hospital before being discharged. He has since recovered fully.
The occupants of the house refused to co-operate with the police investigation, with one of them saying 'we don't talk to the police', Mr Preston said.
The three men were traced in the weeks afterwards after CCTV footage from a shop on Eccles Old Road allowed officers to identify them. The car's movements were examined using CCTV and mobile phone cell sighting enabled detectives to place them near the scene.
Manning was arrested at an address in St Helens in July last year whilst Kelly was detained at a caravan park in North Wales in October.
It is not clear which of the three pulled the trigger and no motive is known. All three of the arrested men refused to comment in their police interviews.
However, police believe the shooting was a clear attempt to 'terrify the occupants.'
Kelly, Manning, of no fixed address, and Thomas, of HMP Forest Bank. all pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an illegal firearm at earlier hearings.
Julian Nutter, defending dad-of-two Kelly, said he had had an 'unfortunate background' and expressed remorse 'not only to his family but to his victim and his family.'
The offence came during an 'isolated and exceptional' period for Phillip Manning, Paul Bogan QC, defending, said, adding, 'he expresses sincere apologies and reassures the court that what happened in those months will not be repeated.'
Andrew Alty, defending Thomas, said he was 'at his core a man of some decency' and said the 'inevitable lengthy sentence would have a profound effect on such a young man'.
Kelly and Manning were sentenced to 16-and-a-half years in prison.
Thomas, who was also sentenced for kidnap, false imprisonment and GBH following an incident in his home city of Liverpool nine weeks after the shooting, was handed a sentence of 17 years with a four-year extended licence.
Sentencing, Judge Patrick Field QC said: "This was a sophisticated and meticulously planned attack.
"You all worked together and are both collectively individually responsible.
"These things are not arranged on impulse and do not happen by chance.
"This involved the acquisition of a stolen vehicle with false number plates with the vehicle of the same type and colour as the cloned plates.
Greater Manchester court cases
"It also involved the acquisition of a semi-automatic weapon and ammunition. It had no legal purpose other than an intention to cause harm, and potential harm.
"This is, in any view, an extremely grave offence."
Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Dave Meeney from GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “Those who arm themselves with guns for whatever reason are not, and will never be, part of our society and we will do everything we can, with the help of information from the public and support of our partners, to strip them of their freedom.
“In this incident three shots were fired at close range into a group of people and it is just by luck that the injuries were not more serious or even fatal.
“Our fight against gun crime across Greater Manchester is more robust than ever, as are our tactics and our intelligence. We will continue to use these wherever we can, working around the clock to protect and reassure the communities of Greater Manchester."
