Northampton murder: Two men jailed for drug debt shooting

Joshua Bains was shot dead in the Upton area of Northampton

Two men have been jailed for a minimum of 32 years for murdering a father-of-two following a dispute over £40 he was owed for drugs.

Joshua Bains, 28, was shot dead in the Upton area of Northampton in October.

Jerome Smikle, 27, and Kayongo Shuleko, 26, were both found guilty of his murder and jailed for life.

A third man, Lewis Carmody, 22, was convicted of assisting an offender and jailed at Birmingham Crown Court for six years and six months.

The court heard Smikle, of St Leonard's Road in Far Cotton, and Shuleko, of Cornwallis Avenue in Edmonton, fired multiple shots in Webb Drive, Northampton.

One of the shots pierced Mr Bain's heart and he died at the scene, despite members of the public, including a surgeon, attempting first aid.

(L-R) Jerome Smikle, Kayongo Shuleko, and Lewis Carmody were convicted at Birmingham Crown Court

Sentencing the men, Mr Justice Holgate said during their evidence Shuleko and Smikle "revealed themselves to be manipulative, cunning, and ruthless individuals".

Reading out her victim impact statement in front of the men, Mr Bains's partner said he was "an amazing man who was loyal, honest, respectful, and a joy to be around".

She spoke of the "impossible task" of having to tell their two children, a three-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter, of his death and how their son will ask: "Why is my Daddy dead?"

Carmody, of Walker Street in Upton, helped the two men travel to London and attempted to destroy evidence.