A MAN who was involved in a shooting that left the victim with a shattered leg in Stoke-on-Trent was tracked down by armed police after he escaped to North Wales.
Jesse Dyche, 27, from Stoke-on-Trent, was one of three men jailed on June 14 for the attack, which took place last August.
Extensive CCTV enquiries showed the trio driving in a Ford Focus.
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They went to a nearby street where they could be seen changing into all-black clothing before using a second car – a stolen Vauxhall Insignia – to travel to the location where the attack took place.
The victim was shot in the leg in the street. Stephen Thorogood, 45, of Stoke-on-Trent, and Dyche were on foot when it happened, with Ethan Beech, 19, of Stoke-on-Trent, waiting in the car nearby.
They drove off in the Vauxhall, abandoned it, and left in the Ford Focus.
Firearms officers stopped Dyche within a day of the incident happening, travelling in the same Ford Focus in the North Wales area – finding a hammer, a crowbar, balaclava and a baseball bat inside, as well as passports and £2,200 in cash.
As detectives investigated, Thorogood and Beech began to be linked to the incident, before all three were later arrested and charged with a number of offences.
The victim suffered a fracture of his lower leg bones that needed surgery; he has since been discharged from hospital.
Despite extensive searches, the firearm was never recovered.
Thorogood was jailed for nine years after admitting grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, or to enable another to do so.
Dyche was also given a nine-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to the same offences.
Beech was handed a 20-month sentence after admitting assisting an offender.
Staffordshire Police detective constable Adam Coomer, who investigated the incident, said: “This investigation succeeded because the local community declared – through dozens of acts of help and support to the investigating team – that they were simply not willing to share their streets with crime and violence.
“It’s a great example of what local communities and local policing can achieve together, and we are grateful to everyone who helped us – as many will not appreciate how significant their contributions were.”
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