A man has been jailed for 15 years for his part in a large violent disorder that left a man with a gunshot wound.
Uran Tabaku, 30, from Luton, was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life in connection to the violence in Luton on April 29.
Just after 7.15pm, police were called to a report of a large violent disorder in Hitchin Road, near the Duke Street area of High Town in Luton.
On arrival, officers found that the group had since dispersed, but there were a number of vehicles with significant damage, as well as a baseball bat, a sheath for a knife and what was believed to be a bullet and a half bullet left at the scene. Two cars were also witnessed leaving the scene at speed.
It was later discovered that the victim had self-presented at hospital with a bullet wound to his left shoulder.
Tabaku was identified as a suspect and was arrested on July 7, in connection with the incident. He was interviewed and consequently charged on July 9, with GBH and a firearms offence.
Yesterday (Thursday) at Luton Crown Court Tabaku was handed a 15-year jail term for GBH and 15 years for the firearms offence, which will run concurrently.
Detective Inspector Philip Moss, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, who led the investigation, said: “I am glad that Tabaku has been found guilty of his part in this extremely violent incident, which left a man requiring intensive hospital treatment.
“This result has been a great team effort as there was a lot of investigative work involved which led to the arrest and charge of Tabaku.
“Gangs, weapons and violence blight our communities and will not be tolerated in Bedfordshire, as this sentencing shows. I hope this sends a very strong message to those who believe that acting in this way is acceptable, and that they can get away with it.
“As a force, a number of significant steps have been taken towards driving down violence and gun crime in the county. Working alongside our partners, we reduced serious youth violence by nine per cent in Bedfordshire last year – the equivalent of 200 fewer victims. We will continue to do all we can to stamp out such criminality and make sure that those responsible for inciting such violence are held accountable for their actions.”
Anyone with information to help tackle this type of criminality is asked to contact Bedfordshire Police on 101, or report online.
Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Bedfordshire’s Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU) aims to tackle the root causes of serious violence. You can find out more at https://bedsveru.org
