Stolen Audi Used in Shocking Late-Night Attack
A gang of men have been handed hefty jail terms totalling more than 80 years after a terrifying shooting in Dudley left a woman in her 20s with life-changing injuries.
The shooting happened just after midnight on 3 July last year, when shots were fired from a stolen grey Audi outside a home on Priory Road. One bullet smashed through the front door and struck the woman, who was rushed to the hospital.
CCTV Hunt Leads to Dramatic Arrests
Police scoured hours of CCTV footage to trace the movements of the Audi. It was stolen from a Wednesbury address in the early hours of 2 July. Later that same night, the car circled the victim’s home three times before five shots rang out.
Following an intense investigation, firearms officers swooped on a vehicle linked to the crime in Oldbury on 14 July, arresting 35-year-old Kile Straker and 23-year-old Ethan Colbourne. A few days later, 27-year-old Kieron Atkins was arrested in West Bromwich.
Hefty Sentences for Attempted Murder and Car Theft
- Kile Straker (Armstrong Drive, Wolverhampton) – 30 years plus 5 years on licence
- Ethan Colbourne (Moat Road, Tipton) – 26 years
- Kieron Atkins (Rydding Lane, West Bromwich) – 28 years
- Stephen Simms (Alexandra Road) – 10 months for car theft
- Iranveer Gill (Bridgnorth Road, Shipley) – 8 month suspended sentence
Straker, Colbourne, and Atkins were found guilty of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life at Wolverhampton Crown Court last month. Simms and Gill were convicted of car theft related to the stolen Audi.
Police Praise Operation Target Success
Detective Inspector Francis Nock said: “This was a planned shooting involving a stolen car which was not only terrifying for the woman, but left her with life-changing injuries. Those involved have rightly been taken off the streets for a very long time.”
The Major Crime Unit continue their relentless fight against organised crime through Operation Target, working around the clock to bring offenders to justice.
