Three Oldham men jailed after drive-by shooting
Date published: 21 March 2022
The incident happened in broad daylight
A gunman and his two associates have been jailed after a drive-by shooting was caught on CCTV.
The incident, in broad daylight in the middle of January 2021, saw two cars driving in tandem at speed onto Briscoe Lane, Harpurhey, where a man can be seen leaning out of the backseat window firing a gun at the car he and two other men were chasing.
It's understood two shots were fired from the vehicle, one of them hitting a man's car as he was driving home from work.
CCTV footage showed Sean Cowie, 32, hanging out the side of a dark grey BMW X5 pointing a gun at a black VW Golf that his associate Dean Urey, 39, was pursuing.
The two men, and a third associate, identified as Paul Ryan, 43, were arrested.
A shotgun was subsequently seized from a bedroom at Ryan's address on Ashton Road East, Failsworth. It was later found not to have been used in the incident, but Ryan was charged with prohibited possession of the weapon.
No firearm could be linked to the shooting and no-one in the VW Golf was willing to support a prosecution, however, Cowie, Ryan and Urey all eventually pleaded guilty to the offences after overwhelming evidence was presented at court.
At Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday (18 March) all three men were sentenced to a total of over 17 years behind bars.
Shooter Cowie, of Ashton Road East, Oldham, was handed five years and seven months behind bars after being convicted of conspiracy with intent to cause fear or violence offence.
Ryan received a six-and-a-half year sentence for possession of a shotgun without a license and conspiracy with intent to cause fear or violence offence.
Urey, of Greaves Road, Failsworth, was ordered to serve five years and four months for admitting conspiracy with intent to cause fear or violence offence.
Detective Inspector Claire Moss, Senior Investigating Officer for Op Accentor, said: "The streets of north Manchester are much safer today now that Sean Cowie, Paul Ryan and Dean Urey are behind bars and unable to embark on any further reckless and potentially life-threatening acts of violence in our communities.
"We never established what this was all about, but what we uncovered from the CCTV of this attack was shocking to say the least, and it is quite clear from the fact an innocent man's car was struck that this easily could’ve ended with somebody being seriously - if not fatally - injured.
"In the moments preceding the shooting, we can see plenty of daytime traffic coming and going through Briscoe Lane - including a woman pushing a pram - in what was a busy area so close to a local primary school in the middle of the school day. Anyone could’ve been seriously hurt here.
"There were a number of firearms incidents in the north of the city at the start of 2021 and we understand and share the concern that the public feel when these incidents happen so close to their doorstep; however, we've put a lot of effort and resources into disrupting and tackling those individuals we believe are involved in gun crime and have seen a significant drop in incidents since.
"Our investigation team worked meticulously on this case and I want to particularly pay tribute to the dedication and tenacity of DS Charlotte Quinn, DS Shauna Hayden and DC Florence Lowe who all worked diligently to ensure that these three men are now where they deserve to be.
"We are clear when we say that gun crime in Manchester is a massive priority for us and we will do all we can to investigate and prosecute anyone involved in the possession, distribution, or use of firearms on our streets and ensure that they will face the consequences of their extremely dangerous actions."
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