Halifax gunman jailed after innocent victims shot in the head during '˜rampage'

A judge told 21-year-old Hamza Iqbal that he had used the town like “a shooting gallery” during the 90-minute spree which began with an attack on an Iceland delivery driver.

Iqbal and his co-accused, 18-year-old Kyle Haughey, were in Spring Hall Lane on the afternoon of February 24 when Iqbal opened fired with a realistic-looking BB handgun smashing the nearside window of the vehicle.

Prosecutor Martin Robertshaw said the pair approached the vehicle and from close range Iqbal then shot at the 54-year-old driver six times.

In hospital the victim had to have two ball-bearings removed from his head and Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC noted that it was a featured of the case that Iqbal appeared to have targeted the heads of his victims during the crime spree.

After that initial attack the duo confronted a man returning home from a shopping trip to Asda and Bradford Crown Court heard today how Iqbal used the handgun to “pistol whip” their victim over the head.

Mr Robertshaw said the man suffered a cut to the left side of his head and now felt angry about the fact that he had been attacked for no reason whatsoever.

At about 3.30pm that afternoon the pair were seen “staggering” across the road by a female motorist and the court heard that she became extremely frightened when Iqbal pointed the handgun at her.

At about 4pm the two defendants went into a house on Grosvenor Terrace and when they were challenged Iqbal fired eight shots at the occupant who later had ball-bearings removed from his head.

Mr Robertshaw said another man in the house tried to intervene and he was shot at three times.

The court heard that one of the pellets smashed the lens in his glasses and Mr Robertshaw said it was very fortunate that it had not entered his eye.

When police and emergency services arrived in the area Iqbal fired the gun randomly at an unmarked police car smashing the front nearside window.

Iqbal, of Richmond Road, was arrested and the court heard today that he had previous convictions for offences including wounding and a car-jacking involving an elderly female motorist.

Iqbal admitted a series of offences including assaults, possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and criminal damage.

Judge Durham Hall was told that Iqbal had been drinking with Haughey who he claimed had brought the BB gun.

The court heard that Iqbal was now remorseful and apologetic, but the judge said he had been involved in “a rampage through Halifax” which had been fuelled by drink and or drugs.

The judge described the offences as being like “yobbish cowboys shooting the town up” and said that Iqbal had treated Halifax like a “shooting gallery”.

“You, Mr Iqbal, are typical of a particular strata of young men of all backgrounds who seem to have no respect and no regard for discipline or for the society that they live in or the people with whom they share this community,” said the judge.

“The court cannot overlook this level of outrageous behaviour.”