Suspended prison sentence for ringleader in gang shooting case

Mr Justice Ramsey said that, although Ryan Coleman had organised a group to go to the home of Daniel Wright with the intention of assaulting him after the teenager had earlier broken a car window, a jury had already decided he could not be blamed for the shooting of Mr Wright's father Christopher by one of his group, Dwayne Mitcham.

Mitcham, 26, of Ryan Place, Leeds, has already been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 17 years after he was convicted of attempting to murder Mr Wright at his home in Red Hall Chase, Whinmoor, Leeds, on April 6.

Daniel Wright's parents were watching TV at home when his father went to answer a knock on the kitchen door and without warning was shot in the stomach at point blank range by Mitcham, only surviving through the skill of medical staff.

Coleman, 22, of East Moor Crescent, Leeds, was found guilty by the same jury at Leeds Crown Court in October of conspiracy to assault Daniel Wright.

Sentencing him to 51 weeks in prison suspended for two years with 12 months supervision and 160 hours unpaid work, the judge told him: "Your offending was to take the law into your own hands, intending to teach Daniel Wright a lesson for what he had done."

He said the fact he was not present and that did not happen did not lessen the seriousness of the plan of which he was the ringleader and organiser.

Conor Ratcliffe, 19, of West Park Close, Leeds, and James Rushforth, 20, of Whinmoor Court, Leeds, were each given a 12-month community order with 12 months supervision and 40 hours unpaid work after they admitted conspiracy to assault.

Alan Mitchision prosecuting said Rushforth and Ratcliffe had given vital evidence at the trial leading to the conviction of Mitcham.

They had gone earlier that evening in a Vauxhall Corsa to Red Hall Chase to sell cannabis. They had a girl passenger who had previously been in a relationship with Daniel Wright but they had fallen out.

There was an exchange between that girl and Daniel Wright who had smashed a side window of the car with a pipe.

Coleman was informed about the damage and recruited Mitcham to go with them to the teenager's house. The quartet took two cars and Rushforth pointed out the address.

Coleman told the jury he only intended to ask for 60 for the damage and was unaware Mitcham had taken a gun with him.

Ronald Bostwick for Coleman said he regretted that an innocent victim had been so seriously injured but added: "The jury did not find him culpable of that horribly violent action."