Patrick Adams jailed for shooting 'grass'

Patrick Adams (pictured) is the younger brother of Terry Adams, said to be the head of the notorious Adams family Clerkenwell crime syndicate

A member of a notorious crime family who shot an associate he suspected of being a "grass" has been jailed for nine years.

Patrick "Patsy" Adams, 60, of Finsbury, north London, shot Paul Tiernan, 54, in the chest in December 2013.

Woolwich Crown Court heard that Adams fled to the Netherlands with his wife before being extradited back to the UK.

Adams is the younger brother of Terry Adams, supposed head of the Clerkenwell crime syndicate.

The family is known to some as the A-team.

'A-Team' exploits

• The Adams family crime syndicate operated in London's underworld throughout the 1980s and 90s

• The gang started off in petty crime and went on to armed robbery before diversifying into drug trafficking

• At the height of their power, in the late 1980s, they were in charge of most of the cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine coming into the capital

• The gang is suspected of involvement in a number of murders, but so far this remains only speculation

• Patrick Adams has convictions dating back to 1968, when he was 12 years old, including being sentenced to seven years for robbery, attempted robbery and having a shotgun in 1976

• In 2007 Adams' older brother Terry was jailed for seven years for money-laundering

CCTV showed Patrick Adams walking towards a car in Clerkenwell and then fleeing the scene with his wife Constance just moments after a gun was fired.

Mr Tiernan had originally held the gun, which Adams wrestled from him after "fearing for his safety and that of his wife", the court heard.

James Scobie QC, defending, said the shooting was "out of character" and Adams accepted his actions were "not reasonable".

Mr Tiernan was found lying in the road near his car by officers.

It is thought he has made a full recovery but refused to co-operate with the police investigation.

As a result, all charges against Constance were dropped and Adams admitted the lesser charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He had previously been charged with attempted murder.

Patrick and Constance Adams were extradited to the UK from the Netherlands

Mr Scobie told the court the pair's relationship had deteriorated because it had been suggested Mr Tiernan was a police informant and was trying to "ensnare" Adams.

He said his client had fled abroad because he was in "fear of retribution" and believed he would not get a fair trial.

Sentencing, Judge Kinch praised Adams for pleading guilty and said he had heard positive testimony in spite of his previous convictions.

"I have heard you are a father, grandfather and devoted husband," he said.

A third charge against Adams of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life will lie on file.