A Bradford man has been sentenced to more than eight years imprisonment after firing a pistol during a violent confrontation involving up to 15 balaclava-wearing men armed with weapons.
Mohammed Kamal, 25, discharged the firearm during the late-night incident in a Manningham car park on 19 April, striking another man in the groin and leg. Witnesses reported seeing the large group carrying machetes, axes and hammers in the Victor Street area.
The victim required surgical treatment following the attack. Kamal, of Girlington Road, Bradford, faced an initial attempted murder charge before admitting wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence at Bradford Crown Court.
During proceedings, the court heard the circumstances of the shooting remained “masked and hidden in shrouds of criminality”. The weapon used in the attack has not been recovered by police.
Kamal told the court he had been carrying the pistol for several days prior to the incident after being assaulted the previous week. He claimed men approached him during the car park gathering and he discharged the weapon in panic, fearing for his safety.
Sentencing Kamal on Wednesday, Judge Jonathan Rose, Honorary Recorder of Bradford, delivered a stark warning about firearm possession. “Guns kill and maim, terrorise and intimidate and their ready availability leads to their use in many and diverse situations of criminality,” he stated.
The judge emphasised that regardless of Kamal’s claims about requiring protection after being attacked by “some lads”, the courts would not tolerate weapon carrying.
Judge Rose concluded his sentencing remarks by addressing the broader issue of firearms in criminal activity, stressing that “the carrying of any sort of firearm and the use of any type of firearm will always lead to very substantial sentences of imprisonment as both a punishment and a deterrent to others”.
Kamal received a total sentence of eight years and two months.
