Armed gang trawled streets of Teesside before shooting

The man was left fighting for his life after he was shot in the back with the bullet shattering two of his ribs before bursting out of the front of body.

Christopher Teasdale, Martin Timms and Richard Finn used a .22 long-barrelled rifle, which was fitted with a telescopic sight, to shoot their victim after they spotted him walking along the street.

Security footage captured their white BMW in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, and one of them could be heard shouting ‘There he is man – shoot him, shoot him’ before the sound of fire shots were captured.

Moments later, the victim’s girlfriend appeared on the scene and one of the gang was heard to shout ‘Move your car - move it’ before they drove away from the scene.

Martin Timms (Image: Cleveland Police)

Paul Rooney, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court, how the three men were caught on more security footage when the pulled up at the home of Timms on Caernarvon Close, Eston, and were seen to remove the rifle from the rear.

He said the 21-year-old victim suffered huge blood loss and a punctured lung, with broken ribs piercing his skin. He was left in a critical condition as being treated by paramedics who feared he would go into cardiac arrest while laid in the street.

Mr Rooney said the drive-by shooting took place at 9.48pm on May 28 and minutes later armed police found clothing and an iPhone smouldering in a fire in the rear garden of Timms’ property.

A baseball cap, which Timms is wearing on the CCTV footage, was found nearby and a police examination found it had gunshot residue on it as well as Timms' DNA.

The court heard that the police were never able to determine who had pulled the trigger on the rifle and Mr Rooney said the victim had refused to work with police throughout their investigation.

Christopher Teasdale (Image: Cleveland Police)

The three men initially faced a charge of attempted murder but they pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent last month on the day their trial was due to start.

Paul Abrahams, representing 45-year-old Finn, of Brunswick Avenue, Middlesbrough, said his client had started committing offences when he fell into drug use but had managed to stay out of trouble for 20 years.

Richard Finn (Image: Cleveland Police)

Dan Cordey, presenting 53-year-old Timms, said his client had 30 previous convictions for low-level offending and accepted he had served a six-month prison sentence in 1996, for drug driving.

While Jane Waugh, representing 42-year-old Teasdale, of Stafford Road, Middlesbrough, said her client was the main carer for his four children but accepted he did have several previous convictions.

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Sentencing the three men, Judge Francis Laird KC he said the armed gang had been driving around the Grangetown area armed with a rifle before shooting him at least once.

“The evidence does not establish which of the three of you fired the shots,” he said.

“You have never said why you targeted the victim; none of you has given any explanation about why you committed this offence; how you obtained the firearm; and where you disposed of it.

“Your victim could have died."

They all got sentences of 13 years and nine months, with ten years and nine months in custody and three years on extended licence.