Cardiff cousins jailed for daylight high street 'gangland hit'

Police say Keiron Hassan and Kamal Legall "had a feud" with Taylor Patterson

Two cousins have been jailed for attempting a "gangland-style hit" in broad daylight outside a convenience store on a Cardiff high street.

Keiron Hassan and Kamal Legall tried to murder Taylor Patterson by shooting him and attacking him with a machete.

Surgeons saved Mr Patterson, 22, after he was shot and stabbed in the neck, Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard.

Hassan, 32, and Legall, 26, of Cardiff, were convicted of attempted murder and were sentenced to 24 years.

They were also found guilty of possessing a shortened shotgun at their trial at Newport Crown Court last month, and were handed four-year sentences for this to run concurrently.

Legall was also handed a 10-month concurrent sentence for refusing to disclose the Pin code of his mobile phone, a charge he pleaded guilty to.

Recorder of Merthyr Tydfil Judge Richard Twomlow said: "To track Taylor Patterson down and then attack him in the street in an attempt to kill him, this was a murderous attack."

CCTV footage of the attack on Taylor Patterson outside the shop in Rumney

He said pellets would remain in the victim for the rest of his life, but added: "Mercifully and remarkably, Taylor Patterson made a good recovery, although for some time, his life was in danger."

Judge Twomlow said both men had tried to "pull the wool over the eyes of the jury by telling lies", but called it "a carefully planned attack to kill".

The judge added: "It is clear for some reason you bore him a grudge to do what you did, to obtain weapons and travel with them across Cardiff."

Both defendants must serve at least two-thirds of their 24-year sentences in prison.

The attack on Mr Patterson took place in front of shoppers outside a Lifestyle Express store in Rumney, Cardiff.

DNA was found on the gun used in the attack

Jurors were told Mr Patterson was heard to say "not here, not now" before he was slashed in the neck and shot at point blank range with a sawn-off shot gun on Harris Avenue at about 15:30 BST on 13 April - Easter Monday.

"This was a murderous attack, it was professionally planned and executed in a gangland-style hit where the clear intention was to the kill the victim Taylor Patterson," prosecutor Christopher Rees QC told the five-week trial.

"The attackers took advantage of the pandemic in that they wore masks to hide their identity."

Mr Patterson asked one bystander, "Am I going to die?" after he heard a bang and felt his legs collapse, jurors heard.

"The way it occurred in a Cardiff street in broad daylight in front of a number of terrified members of the public, it may well be that such a brazen attack was to send a message to others and to strike fear into a local community," added Mr Rees.

The court heard Hassan shouted at his victim: "Where's my watch?"

After fleeing the scene the defendants were traced through Cardiff after detectives viewed "thousands of hours of CCTV".

Taylor Patterson was attacked on Easter Monday outside the shop in Rumney

The court heard Hassan and Legall had hidden a loaded shotgun near a children's playground in Cardiff Bay and had "cloned" the number plates on a Nissan Pathfinder in order to hide its identity.

The court heard Mr Patterson was saved by paramedics and surgeons after losing blood from a 5in (13cm) cut in his neck and a wound on his body.

Following sentencing, Thomas Edwards of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: "This was a brutal attack in broad daylight with lethal weapons and could easily have resulted in the loss of life.

"The CPS presented strong, compelling evidence to the jury that both men were the ones responsible for the attack and tried to kill the victim, despite their denials.

"We hope the victim makes a good recovery from the serious injuries that were inflicted."