Machine gun man gets life

JAILED . . . Arfan Rafiq

A HATHERSHAW man has been jailed for life over the murder of an innocent shop worker in Salford.

Arfan Rafiq (26), of Villa Road, was sentenced on at Manchester Crown Court after he supplied the machine gun that was used to kill 27-year-old Nasar Shazad at Brookhouse Wines in Salford on July 4, 2009.

Mohammed Hafiz (43), of Cheetham Hill and gunman Simeon Henderson (28), of no fixed abode, were also jailed for life for the shooting.

Ryan Manning (22), of Higher Ince, was convicted of manslaughter and handed an indeterminate sentence with a minimum term of eight years, while Akmal Afzal (25), of Bolton, was convicted of assisting an offender and possession of a prohibited weapon and jailed for seven years.

Rafiq was given a minimum tariff of 18 years with Judge Mr Justice Spencer telling him: “You must have realised Henderson might shoot someone and cause really serious harm.”

Hafiz was given a minimum of 26 years with the judge saying he was “deeply involved” in gang culture in Oldham and “pulling the strings” of Henderson.

In return for giving evidence against his paymasters, Henderson received a 17-year reduction in his minimum jail term as he was given a minimum of 15 years in prison.

The judge condemned the “senseless and outrageous gang warfare that plagues the streets of so many of our towns and cities.”

Two gangs in Bolton, including the shop’s owners, were involved in a feud and one called on an Oldham gang to send out a warning to their rivals.

Mr Hussain was not the intended target and had no direct connection to the dispute.

Hafiz ordered gunman Henderson to go into the Brookhouse Avenue off-licence to damage the store or injure one of its owners.

He fired a number of shots directly at Mr Hussain and bullets shattered bottles on the shelves behind and lodged in the wall, while customers and other staff fled the shop in fear.

The gun was found in Oldham the next day, wrapped in tracksuit bottoms.

It was linked forensically to getaway driver Manning and the trousers matched those Henderson wore in the shooting. Police are hunting three men wanted in connection to the murder, who they believe have left the country and initially headed for Islamabad, Pakistan.

Gulfan Khan (36), formerly of Howgill Crescent, Oldham, and Mohammed Safdar (30), formerly of Pitt Street, Oldham, were arrested and bailed pending further inquiries but have since disappeared.

Tanveer Akbar (30), formerly of Bolton, left the country at the time of the killing and was never arrested.

CPS reviewing lawyer Ian Lee said: “Nasar Hussain had nothing to do with guns and gangs and sadly found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Whilst nothing can bring him back, we hope that the bringing to justice of those involved in his tragic death can provide some solace to his family and loved ones.”