Manchester gym machine gun gang jailed

2:44pm Thursday 8th May 2008

Four members of a gang who threatened a man with a sub-machine gun in a busy gym while police were giving a talk nearby have been jailed.

Antonio Wint, aged 21, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life in February at Manchester Crown Square Court.

He has today received an indeterminate service for public protection. He will have to serve a minimum of four years and 250 days in prison before he can be considered for parole.

Wint also received 18 months for the possession of cannabis with the intent to supply, to be served concurrently.

His associate Andre Marshall, aged 22, of Brantingham Road, Whalley Range, also earlier pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and assault causing actual bodily harm.

He has been jailed for seven years and also received a four year sentence for assault, to be served concurrently.

A 17-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons pleaded guilty to violent disorder in February and was sentenced in April to a community punishment and rehabilitation order.

A fourth man, Waqas Farooq, aged 23, of Northleigh Road, Old Trafford, who was convicted of perverting the course of justice after he coerced false witnesses to give evidence about this incident to police, has also been jailed for three and a half years.

At about 1.15pm on Tuesday 3 July 2007 a group of GMP officers were at the Moss Side Leisure Centre giving a talk when some gym users told them that there were men in the weights room with a gun.

As the officers called for backup they saw some men leave the centre and get into a green Subaru Impreza.

Meanwhile, a 23-year-old man emerged injured from the room. He had been punched several times while a man holding a machine gun had pointed it at him and 'cocked' it, as if planning to shoot. The victim was then hit over the head with the gun.

The officers at the leisure centre passed information to GMP's Xcalibre Task Force (XTF), who immediately recognised the description of the car.

Police observations were carried out locally, and Wint, Marshall and the 17-year-old were seen fleeing an address on Wyverne Road in Whalley Range about 20 minutes after the incident at the gym. The Subaru was parked outside this house.

Officers responding to calls for backup followed the trio to Dalmorton Road where, after a short chase down an alleyway, all three were arrested.

Marshall had a balaclava in his pocket.

Just prior to his arrest Wint had been seen trying to throw a plastic bag onto a nearby roof. This bag was later forensically recovered and contained a fully loaded 9mm automatic machine gun.

The rear number plate from the Subaru was also recovered on the other side of a wall in the alleyway. The car itself was later seized, and a bullet was found in the front passenger foot well.

Detective Sergeant Rick Collins, who conducted the investigation into this incident, said: "These three offenders armed themselves and walked calmly into a busy gym in the middle of the day with no regard for people's safety. Their arrogance is astonishing, but we have proved they are not above the law, and our streets are definitely safer now that they are in jail.

"The actions of the unarmed PCs who responded to radio calls for backup and arrested Wint and Marshall should be commended. They showed real bravery in apprehending these men whilst knowing that they could be armed. They played a crucial role in bringing these offenders to justice."

Detective Sergeant Chris Downey from the XTF said: "The gun that Wint, Marshall and their accomplice used in this incident - a 9mm Scorpion machine pistol - was not only lethal but unusual. When we test-fired it after it was seized we were shocked at its power. This weapon being taken off the streets is a significant success of this case.

"These men are exactly the sort of people that the XTF focuses its attention on. We are determined to pursue those who have absolutely no regard for other members of their community, those who carry loaded dangerous guns around, and take them into community centres where people should be allowed to go without worrying about their safety. Lots of children use the centre these men walked into that day and it sickens me to think what could have happened here.

"Much of our success in tackling gun crime is owed to the people in the community who stand shoulder to shoulder with us in our desire to rid our streets of guns and those who use them. The successes we have made were not achieved alone and I hope that today's result continues to inspire people's confidence in our attempts to make the streets safer for everyone."

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