Two men have each been locked up for seven years after shots were fired on the streets of Bradford in broad daylight causing adults and children to ‘duck and dive’ to get out of the way.

Live rounds were discharged at two separate locations in the city when trouble flared between two gangs, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

The judge, Recorder Tahir Khan QC, said multiple rounds were discharged. Shots were fired from a moving vehicle in the ‘planned, organised criminality’ with a high risk of death or serious injury.

Liam Rogers, 23, of St Matthews Road, Bankfoot, Bradford, was jailed for seven years.

Cale Coxen, 19, of Carr Bottom Road, Bankfoot, Bradford, was sent to a young offender institution for seven years.

Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Prosecutor David Hall said that at 4pm on September 21 last year the men drove to Smith Avenue, Wibsey, where there was ‘the opposing gang’ of six to eight people.

Two shots were fired from the Vauxhall Corsa that Rogers and Coxen were in while adults and children were present at the scene. They had to ‘duck and dive’ when the 12 bore shotgun was discharged, Mr Hall said.

The other gang had a handgun and that was fired a number of times, with 9mm blank cartridges recovered from the street.

The court heard that shortly after 6pm the same day, the Corsa was chased by a black Mitsubishi Shogun through Bradford.

Two more shots were fired from the Corsa on Holroyd Hill. The Shogun rammed the car and it drove off.

Mr Hall said there was a third man in the Corsa but he got out and disappeared. The shotgun was never recovered.

Coxen was arrested in Bradford and Rogers in Glastonbury. They made no reply to police questions.

Kieran Galvin said in mitigation for Rogers that he was still a young man and a model prisoner while on remand in HMP Leeds. He knew he would receive a lengthy jail sentence.

Shufqat Khan, for Coxen, said he was 18 at the time of the offence and lacked maturity. It wasn’t his argument. He was called on to assist and there might have been an element of bravado.

Coxen was not the prime mover or the orchestrator of the violence. He had been in HMP Doncaster since his arrest, locked up in his cell for 23 hours a day.

Recorder Khan said the offence was so serious that only an immediate and long sentence of custody could be justified.

Coxen had at first denied being at the scene while Rogers said he was driving the car and knew nothing about what was going to happen.

But the offence was planned. The defendants had possession of the shotgun when they got into the Corsa and drove to the scene of the first shooting.

Both pleaded guilty at trial, waiting until ‘the last moment’ to admit the offence at the door of the court.

What happened was ‘part and parcel of a dispute’ between the two of them, and possibly one of more other people, and others connected to the Mitsubishi Shogun and another vehicle present at the scene.

The men had driven to Smith Avenue armed with a shotgun. Shots were fired from the Corsa at the opposing group in a residential area outside a shop.

There were members of the public there. Adults and children were present, ‘ducking and diving’ to get out of the way,’ Recorder Khan said.

The second discharge was from a blank firing handgun in possession of the other gang. A number of 9mm cartridges were fired. Neither weapon was ever recovered.

The Corsa drove off pursued by the Shogun which rammed the Corsa from behind. It was now shortly after 6pm on Holroyd Hill. The back seat passenger in the Corsa fired the shotgun before the ramming.

Rogers fled afterwards and was arrested in Glastonbury and the Shogun was never found.

Recorder Khan said Rogers knew full well what was going to happen and played a full part in it.

Coxen was also in the Corsa when the shots were fired and was seen running towards the opposing group wielding a machete.

He accepted that he had fired at the Shogun, telling the probation officer it was because the car was being rammed.

Recorder Khan said multiple rounds were discharged. Shots were fired from a moving vehicle in broad daylight.

It was planned, organised criminality with a high risk of death or serious injury with live rounds being fired at two separate occasions.