Gunman who shot victim at point blank range jailed

A man who shot his victim at point-blank range having used GPS trackers to monitor his movements has been jailed for 32 years.

Leon Haughton, 34, from West Green, Wolverhampton, shot the victim in a Dudley car park at about 01:20 BST on 6 April.

Haughton was found guilty of attempted murder following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 10 October and was sentenced on 5 November. He had also admitted possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and possessing a prohibited firearm.

Det Insp Francis Nock said: "This was a targeted, pre-planned attack by Haughton and it's only down to sheer luck the victim wasn't killed."

The investigation started when the victim turned up at hospital 25 minutes after the attack, suffering a gunshot wound.

Police said CCTV footage showed Haughton fleeing the scene of the shooting and driving away.

Leon Haughton was found guilty of attempted murder at Wolverhampton Crown Court

Armed officers arrested him on 14 April after spotting his car on Great Hampton Street, Wolverhampton.

They said they found a loaded, shortened shotgun and 11 cartridges in the boot.

Detectives later found Haughton had been tracking the victim by attaching GPS devices under his car with cable ties and had extensively researched him online.

Det Insp Nock said: "We analysed a large amount of CCTV footage as well as mobile data and were able to unearth just how much research Haughton had done into his victim."

He added: "I hope this sentence sends a message to others thinking they can get away with using guns in our community, that they've got no place on our streets and we'll always work tirelessly as we've shown here to get justice and put them before the courts."