Trio Admit Firearms Conspiracy & Face Significant Jail Terms Over Planned Walsall Home Shooting

Three men are facing significant prison sentences after admitting their roles in a conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence following a shooting targeted at a home in Walsall.

Haider Ali Shabir, 23, Mohammed Ishaan Khan, 20, and Junaid Shabir, 21, all entered guilty pleas on the first day of their planned trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court after the Crown Prosecution Service added an alternative count to the indictment.

The convictions follow an investigation into an incident at approximately 4am on March 13, 2024, when shots were fired at a residential property on Talke Road in the Delves area of Walsall.

No one was injured during the discharge, though the court heard threats had previously been made to a woman at the address and the safety of two occupants inside the property was put at risk.

Detectives established that the trio had conspired together between March 4 and March 13, 2024, to plan the attack as a reaction to an altercation earlier that month involving a perceived wrong.

All three defendants had originally denied a primary charge of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, while student Junaid Shabir, of Lane Avenue, Reedswood, Walsall, had also denied a count of possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger life on March 13, 2024.

Following agreements between prosecution and defence counsel, the original charges were dropped after the trio entered their guilty pleas to the alternative count of conspiring to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Prosecuting barrister Jonathan Barker informed the court that Haider Shabir was previously sentenced in June 2023 to 14 years and nine months' imprisonment for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, following a January 2023 incident in which a shop on Bertram Road, Smethwick, was damaged and shots were fired in connection with a family dispute.

The prosecution noted that the earlier offense carried similarities to the Walsall conspiracy, describing the latest matter as a reaction to a perceived wrong linked to his sister.

The court was also told that Khan, of no fixed abode, has previous convictions, whereas Junaid Shabir has no prior criminal record.

Adjourning the case for pre-sentence reports, Judge Jonathan Gosling ordered that the issue of dangerousness must be formally evaluated in respect of Haider Shabir, of Lane Avenue, Walsall, and Khan before sentence is passed.

Judge Gosling remanded all three defendants in custody until December 11, warning them that they face significant prison terms and ordering them to co-operate with the Probation Service in the interim.