Nottingham drug dealer jailed after he accidentally shot himself
- Published
Romello Nangle claimed he had caught his leg on the exhaust pipe of a motorbike when he fell off his bicycle
A drug dealer has been jailed for four and a half years after he tried to cover up accidentally shooting himself in the leg.
Romello Nangle called an ambulance on 21 May 2022 to say he had been in a road accident and had a "big hole" in his leg.
A nurse at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre told police a man attended A&E with shotgun pellets in his leg.
Police pieced together Nangle's movements through CCTV and mobile data.
The information led to Nangle's arrest. He went on to admit having a loaded gun, conspiracy to pervert the court of justice and supplying a Class B drug.
Cover-up
On Wednesday he was jailed at Nottingham Crown Court.
Police said Nangle, of Hucknall Road, Nottingham, had sent messages to say he had "forgotten the shotgun was loaded" and had shot himself in the leg.
Nangle claimed he had caught his leg on the exhaust pipe of a motorbike when he fell off his bicycle.
The 28-year-old then changed his story again to say he heard a loud bang before he came off his bike.
But detectives exposed his lies.
They were also able to prove his mother, Melanie Nangle, and accomplice, Harveer Narwal, had also tried to cover up what happened.
Narwal was jailed for 13 months at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday
When detectives seized Nangle's phone, they discovered a series of WhatsApp messages in which Nangle admitted he had shot himself accidentally, along with messages from his mother and Narwal urging him to delete any evidence relating to the shooting.
Officers from Nottinghamshire Police also extracted deleted messages showing Melanie Nangle had been speaking to her son about how to dispose of the firearm.
The court heard doorbell camera and CCTV footage captured Nangle on the day of the shooting with a hole in his trouser leg when he later returned home.
Further footage showed he had changed clothes before leaving the address again to attend hospital.
When they searched Nangle's home, officers found bags of cannabis in one of the bedrooms.
Further messages on Nangle's mobile phone showed he had been involved in supplying the Class B drug over a period between December 2021 and May last year.
A spokesperson for the force said CCTV and WhatsApp messages revealed what exactly happened.
"Nangle armed himself before leaving home and then revealed in messages he had forgotten the shotgun was loaded and had shot himself in the leg."
Narwal, 29, of Plains Farm Close, Mapperley, was jailed for 13 months after earlier admitting perverting the course of justice.
Nangle's mother Melanie, 53, of Bilberry Walk, St Ann's, was given a nine-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.
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