The Bradford criminals who have been jailed this week

TWO men were jailed for a total of more than 31 years for their involvement in a plot to manufacture and transfer sub-machine guns made using a 3D printer.

Christopher Gill from Bradford and Sibusiso Moyo, who lectured in computer science at the city’s university, were convicted after trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

Moyo was imprisoned for 18 years and Gill for 13 years and eight months.

Moyo, 41, of Elloughton Grove, Hull, and Gill, 35, of Dick Lane, Laisterdyke, Bradford, were found guilty of conspiracy with others unknown to manufacture prohibited firearms.

They and Majeeb Rehman, 46, of Central Avenue, Little Horton, Bradford, were convicted of conspiracy to transfer a prohibited firearm, an FGC-9 hybrid carbine sub-machine gun, to persons unknown on May 17, 2022.

Rehman will be sentenced at a later date.

Moyo and Gill were found guilty of possession of eight 9mm Luger cartridges without a firearms certificate and two charges of having a prohibited weapon for sale or transfer.

Moyo was convicted of possession of an identity document with improper intention.

During the trial, the jury heard that a loaded sub-machine gun seized by the police from Rehman’s BMW on Rooley Lane in Bradford was manufactured using a 3D printer.

A trained firearms officer who inspected it had never seen such a weapon before.

Andre Horne, a scientist with expertise in the analysis of firearms and ballistics, concluded that most of the carbine was produced on a 3D printer and some of its metal parts appeared to be homemade.

Stephen Wood KC, for the Crown, said that Moyo and Gill were involved in the manufacture of the guns and Rehman was caught red-handed transporting one loaded with functioning bulleted cartridges.

Shortly after 7pm on May 17 last year, police officers carrying out surveillance saw Rehman park his blue BMW up on Darren Street in Bradford.

Gill then left his home nearby carrying a Bag for Life. He got into the rear of the BMW and quickly emerged without it.

At 7.28pm, the BMW was stopped on Rooley Lane by armed police. A search of the bag revealed a firearm manufactured from plastic and metal component parts. A cartridge from the magazine looked like it had been fired previously. There were a total of eight rounds in all.

Shortly after Rehman was stopped, police officers went to Gill’s home and arrested him. In the loft at his address they found a holdall containing a firearm.

With the complete carbine was a component part for another firearm. Coiled black material with it was the raw material used in 3D printing.

Moyo was a DNA match for swabs taken from seized items.

He was ‘intimately involved in the manufacturing process,’ Mr Wood stated.

The FGC-9, 9mm Luger carbine recovered from Rehman’s car was passed round the members of the jury.

Mr Wood pointed out the embossed motif on the gun, saying it could be seen more clearly than on a photograph. The court heard that imprinted on the plastic is an image of an arm holding a curved sword with what appears to be blood dripping from it.

The jurors also handled one of eight Parabellum calibre cartridges recovered with the carbine and the carbine found in Gill’s attic.

A WOULD-BE gangster was jailed for nine years for slashing a man’s neck with a broken bottle on Bradford’s Great Horton Road.

Leon Fenton, 33, of Birch Lane, West Bowling, Bradford, was labelled a public danger by the judge sentencing him at Bradford Crown Court and given an extended five-year licence period.

He will spend two thirds of the custodial term behind bars before being released on the closely monitored licence term for the balance of the 14 years.

Fenton pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on July 26 last year. He also admitted having a broken bottle as an offensive weapon and being in possession of a knife.

His not guilty plea to an original charge of attempted murder was accepted by the Crown.

The court heard that the victim was slashed to the throat with a piece of broken glass shortly before 9pm. Fenton was also carrying a knife that was never recovered,

Prosecutor Stephen Littlewood said that shortly before the attack, Fenton was drinking a bottle of Desperados at an address in Bradford. He left at 8.30pm and appeared ‘a bit drunk.’

He was on the phone on Great Horton Road, angry and shouting. He smashed the Desperados bottle, picked up a broken piece and threw punches at two Polish males drinking beer nearby.

He was ‘jumping round as if he was on drugs’ and threatened to kill one of them, the court was told.

CCTV footage of events surrounding the incident was played in court, depicting shouting and screaming on the busy street as traffic went past.

Fenton ran up and ‘punched’ a Czech man aged 28 twice in the neck, causing a six to eight inch slash wound two inches deep.

The victim threw a bicycle at Fenton after he was stabbed. He was bleeding while he was running away, with Fenton still threatening to kill him, Mr Littlewood said.

An eye-witness saw that he was badly hurt and called for an ambulance.

Mr Littlewood said Fenton was seen with a small knife in one hand and the broken bottle in the other.

The police found the broken bottle thrown under a vehicle and Fenton had a cut to his hand.

The victim was taken to hospital by ambulance and underwent surgery the following day when the wound was closed with two layers of stitches.

In his victim personal statement, he said he hadn’t slept properly since and had nightmares in which he was slashed and someone wanted to kill him.

He had been prescribed sleeping tablets and needed counselling.

He no longer went to the park with the children. His heart would beat fast and he became anxious.

The incident had an impact on the whole family, with his partner saying he wasn’t the same man as before.

Fenton had previous convictions for burglary, when aged 15, dishonesty and criminal damage, battery, robbery, breach of court orders, common assault, possession of a knife, affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

From 2017 onwards, he committed battery, assault, possession of a knife on two occasions, possession of drugs with intent to supply, and assault on an emergency worker.

His barrister, Philip Morris, said psychiatric and probation reports made reference to his client’s mental health problems that were not assisted by his use of alcohol.

While remanded in HMP Leeds, he had been assigned a mental health worker and he was now willing to confront his ‘ghosts and demons.’

Mr Morris conceded that the authors of the reports had found that Fenton posed a danger to the public with his ‘incessant’ carrying of weapons.

Judge Jonathan Rose said Fenton had 32 convictions for more than 70 offences.

In 2020, he was jailed for two years for possession of knives and then locked up again for assaults on emergency workers.

Four months after his release from jail, he was drinking alcohol, saying he was a ‘gang man’ and making violent drunken threats.

He had a knife and was angry on his phone on Great Horton Road. He smashed his bottle of alcohol and picked it up.

There was a dispute in which words were exchanged with a group of Polish men. Fenton escalated matters by shouting racist abuse at them.

The victim was trying to de-escalate the situation when Fenton ran after him and punched him twice, slashing his neck with the broken bottle.

The bicycle thrown at him afterwards was ‘a defence mechanism’ to stop him carrying out further violence.

The victim had suffered a ‘grave and dreadful’ injury, Judge Rose said.

He wouldn’t even go out in the afternoon now because he feared he wouldn’t be able to get home before dark.

“On any view, Fenton, this was a grave and unprovoked attack that ran a very high risk of causing the death of the victim,” Judge Rose said.

He could have severed the man’s jugular vein after ‘choosing his weapon, his target and following it through.’

“The risk of killing this man was very, very great,” the judge said.

Fenton’s father was currently serving a long prison sentence and from a young age, his son had modelled himself on him, leading to a life of crime, the judge stated.

He had repeatedly used violence and carried weapons, wanting to be a gangster.

He had abused his body with Class A and Class B drugs as well as using alcohol.

A DRUG dealer with a stash of £6,000 in cash was jailed for three years after he was caught trafficking heroin and crack cocaine on Bradford’s Thornton Road.

Muhammed Awais, 23, was stopped by the police at the wheel of a VW Golf at 3pm on December 29, 2019, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Awais, of Hoxton Street, Girlington, Bradford, had £615 with him and several phones, one that kept ringing, prosecutor Alisha Kaye said.

His passenger, Wayne Collins, 46, of Rosemary Gardens, Saffron Drive, Allerton, Bradford, had a large bag of Class A drugs on him but his plea to simple possession of crack cocaine and heroin was accepted by the court.

Miss Kaye said both men were arrested from the car and a search of Awais’ home uncovered the cash with traces of heroin on it.

His phone had evidence of drug dealing on it, including messages asking if he was ‘active,’ and a ‘tick list’ of addicts who owned him money.

The court heard he was on his way to sell drugs when he was arrested.

Awais denied any knowledge of drug dealing when questioned by the police but went on to plead guilty to possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

Collins made no comment when he was interviewed.

Awais had previously received a suspended sentence for being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.

Collins had convictions for possession with intent to supply cannabis and production of the Class B drug.

His barrister, Rebecca Young, said his life had been blighted by addiction since his early teens. His drug addiction led to the breakdown of his relationship but since then, he had worked extremely hard to be a good parent to his children.

Barrister Harry Crowson said that a series of tragic family bereavements had put Awais on the right path in life. He had found a responsible job and wanted to live properly and honestly. He was 19 at the time of the offending and had matured significantly since.

Judge Sophie McKone said Awais was peddling misery on the streets of Bradford for financial gain.

The offences were three and a half years ago and since then he had found a job and was doing voluntary work. He had lost close relatives in the Covid pandemic and taken on the responsibility of being head of the family.

Collins had made great efforts to stay out of trouble and be a good parent.

He was sentenced to a two-year community order with a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement and 15 rehabilitation activity days.

A MAN was given a life sentence at Bradford Crown Court after a police investigation into his internet activity revealed he had sexually assaulted two young girls. 

Jonathon Warren, 32, of Edensor Road, Keighley, was arrested from his home address last October after officers received information suggesting he was involved in the distribution of indecent images.

He was taken into custody and his devices were seized. These were found to contain a total of 2,086 indecent images of children. Within these were images and videos which showed him committing sexual acts on two girls.

Further investigation by the Policing Online Investigations Team found evidence on his phone of distributing indecent images to other people.

Warren was in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and charged with a total of 14 offences, which included seven relating to making and taking of indecent images and three of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He was also charged with assaulting an emergency worker.

He was given a life sentence by Judge Andrew Hatton with a review by the Parole Board in six years and eight months’ time.

He had pleaded guilty to all 14 charges at an earlier hearing.

After the case, Detective Constable Adam Flaxington, said: “I am particularly pleased that the judge has recognised the abhorrent offending of Warren against two vulnerable girls.

“This sends a clear message to offenders committing these sorts of offences and I am delighted that his victims will now have justice.

“The lengths that Warren went to try and avoid detection and arrest signifies that he knew he was looking at a significant sentence when caught.

“I would also like to thank the Digital Forensic Unit and all their work on the case. Our close work with them has again brought a positive result.”

A MAN aged 21 was jailed for three and a half years for a string of offences including house burglary.

Steven Doherty, of Norbury Road, Ravenscliffe, Bradford, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court by Judge Jonathan Gibson for a total of ten offences committed in March.

They included burglaries in Baildon and East Morton near Keighley.

Doherty also stole a vehicle and drove while disqualified and uninsured.