Eight men have been convicted in connection with a cross-country firearms conspiracy that involved a shooting at a South Shields home. Five men linked to the plot have already been sentenced to prison, while three others are due to be sentenced soon.
The plot was masterminded by Paul Momat and his associate Joseph Millward, who planned the scheme to intimidate a rival. They recruited London criminals Colin Crawley and James Townsend to organise the daylight shooting, with Caspian Bhinder acting as the intermediary.
After weeks of preparation, shooter Stefan Simpson and accomplice Ashlee McKenzie travelled approximately 300 miles from London to the North East. On 16 September 2021, Simpson fired a handgun at a property on Heaton Gardens shortly after the resident stepped outside.
The pair stayed in Gateshead using accommodation and a stolen Volkswagen car arranged by Tyran Baglin. Police investigations involved analysing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, thousands of phone calls, and encrypted messages to crack the case.
Detectives discovered the hideout on Rayleigh Grove, Gateshead. Car keys hidden behind a television allowed access to the stolen Volkswagen, which contained the handgun used in the attack inside the glove box.
Northumbria Police collaborated with the Metropolitan Police to conduct dawn raids across South Tyneside and London. During these operations, they seized phones, weapons, and large sums of cash, including £30,000 from Crawley’s home and £6,000 linked to Momat.
Sentences handed down include:
- Paul Momat, 36, of West Boldon – 9 years (8 years for firearms conspiracy plus 1 year for refusing to disclose phone information)
- Colin Crawley, 46, of Croydon – 6 years 5 months
- Stefan Simpson, 24, of London – 7 years 3 months
- Ashlee McKenzie, 33, of Lambeth – 6 years
- Tyran Baglin, 24, no fixed abode – 3 years 8 months
In addition, Momat, Crawley, and Millward were issued Serious Crime Prevention Orders, restricting their phone use and vehicle access to prevent future offences.
Detective Superintendent Jane Fairlamb, who led the investigation, said: “This was an absolutely appalling shooting, the result of weeks of careful planning by co-conspirators. While thankfully no one was hurt, such behaviour is totally unacceptable. We hope these sentences send a strong message: serious violence will not be tolerated on our streets.”
Fairlamb also praised the cooperation between Northumbria Police, Metropolitan Police, Thames Valley Police, NEROCU, and criminal justice partners in bringing the case to court. She added, “Under Operation Sentinel, we will continue swift, robust action against serious violent crime.”
The remaining three defendants – James Townsend, Joseph Millward, and Caspian Bhinder – will be sentenced in the coming weeks following their convictions for conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to cause fear of violence.
Originally published by UKNIP.
