Drug-dealing gunman who shot innocent bystander dead in Wakefield drive-by to serve minimum 33 years
Bystander hit in the chest by single shot fired from moving car
A gunman who accidentally shot an innocent bystander during a drive-by attack outside at a petrol has been ordered to serve a minimum of 33 years in prison.
Drug dealer Leyton Davies was given the mandatory life sentence at Leeds Crown Court today for the killing of Dale Stogden in Wakefield in August last year.
Known as Brett, 50-year-old Mr Stogden received a fatal shot to the chest.
Davies, 28, was found guilty of murder during a two-week trial in March. His two accomplices were found guilty of manslaughter and were sentenced earlier.
Jailing Davies today, High Court Judge, Mrs Justice Jennifer Eady described it as a “senseless” and “cruel” killing.
The fatal shot was fired from a moving vehicle outside the BP garage on Doncaster Road on August 12 last year.
Davies and his accomplices, Marc Carter and Adam Ahmed, admitted being in the stolen Toyota Rav 4 at the time of the shooting, with Davies even admitting he was the gunman, but denying murder.
During the trial it was heard the intended targets were two brothers who happened to be standing close to Mr Stogden at the time of the shooting.
The Toyota they used had been stolen during a burglary at a property in Castleford nine days prior. It was also on cloned plates.
CCTV showed the vehicle cruising the area hours before the murder, searching for their intended targets.
They gave up, but then resumed the search that evening, eventually finding the two brothers outside the patrol station at 9.38pm.
With 21-year-old Ahmed driving, and 20-year-old Carter in the passenger seat, Davies was sat behind the passenger seat armed with the gun.
CCTV showed the vehicle mount the kerb and from the lowered rear window, 28-year-old Davies fired the single shot which struck Mr Stogden.
On foot, the two brothers then briefly chased after the Toyota, which could be heard screeching away, before they ran down Fall Ings Road.
Mr Stogden suffered a single shot to the chest with a “7.5mm metal sphere” projectile that caused “catastrophic internal and external bleeding” and he was declared dead at Pinderfields Hospital at 10.31pm.
All three suspects were arrested three days later and they each refused to answer police questions during multiple interviews.
The gun was never recovered.
Ahmed, of Edgemoor Road, Hall Green, and homeless Carter deny they knew that Davies had the gun on him.
They were found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 12 years each.
Davies, from Ossett but of no fixed address, accepted he fired the gun but claimed it was to simply “scare” the two brothers.