Three men from Stoke-on-Trent have been jailed for 19 years collectively after shooting a man in the leg on Dawlish Drive in August 2023.
The three men were sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday 14 June for their involvement in the attack.
CCTV evidence captured Stephen Thorogood (45) and Jesse Dyche (27) on foot and dressed all in black at the time of the attack, which left the victim with a shattered leg. Ethan Beech (19) was also involved and was waiting in the car at the time of the attack.
CCTV evidence also captured the trio travelling around in a Ford Focus before switching to a second vehicle, which was a stolen Vauxhall Insignia. They drove the Vauxhall Insignia to the site of the shooting.
After the attack, they drove the Vauxhall Insignia for a while before abandoning it and getting back into the Ford Focus.
The victim was left with a fractured leg and had to undergo surgery.
Firearms officers stopped Dyche a day later. He was spotted driving the same Ford Focus in North Wales.
Police searched the vehicle and found a crowbar, a hammer, a balaclava, and a baseball bat. Passports and £2,200 cash was also recovered.
Detectives launched an investigation and were able to link Thorogood and Beech to the incident. All three men were arrested and charged with numerous crimes.
The gun used in the attack has not yet been found.
At the trial last Friday, Thorogood received a nine-year jail sentence for admitting grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life or enable another to do so.
Dyche also received the same sentence having pleaded guilty to the same offences.
Beech received a 20-month jail sentence after he admitted to assisting the offender.
Experienced writer and journalist James McKean leads the daily editorial output at StaffsLive. To contact him, email news@staffslive.co.uk
