Six men jailed after KFC shooting

CCTV footage helped to secure the convictions

Six men have been sentenced to a total of nearly 20 years in prison after a man was shot outside a fast food restaurant in Stoke-on-Trent.

The men, who were all convicted of conspiracy to commit violent disorder, were jailed at Stafford Crown Court on Friday.

The verdicts followed a trial that lasted almost six weeks.

The incident outside KFC in Festival Park in Hanley ended in a man being shot in the stomach.

Another man was beaten unconscious in the attack, which happened on 6 June 2002.

The fact that people came forward meant we were able to charge these dangerous offenders DCI Bernie Guthrie

Clive Saunders, 42, of Wood Lane, Uttoxeter, received five years, while 20-year-old Courtney Saunders, of Canary Road, Longton, and Cedric Paulwell, 38, of Gilman Avenue, Baddeley Green, were both given three-and-a-half years.

Martin Bloore, 41, of Westacre, Finney Gardens, Bucknall, Andrew Bloore, 34, of Acton Street, Birches Head, and 36-year-old Neil Wynne, of High Street, Knutton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, were all given two-and-a-half year jail terms.

Three other men, Jonathon Burton, 31, of Harpfields Road, Trent Vale, Robert Davies, 28, of Broome Hill, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and 28-year-old Deaon Meah, of Dartmouth Avenue, Newcastle-under-Lyme, were cleared of the same offence.

Charges of conspiracy to kidnap were dropped against all nine defendants earlier in the trial on the orders of the judge.

'Gang-related'

Officers spent months analysing CCTV footage to build their case against the men.

Police said they took nearly 800 statements, including some from families with young children who witnessed the shooting.

In a statement released after the verdicts, Detective Chief Inspector Bernie Guthrie said: "This was the first shooting we'd had of its type on the streets of Stoke-on-Trent, being gang-related and in broad daylight.

"The victims of this crime did not co-operate with police.

"Extensive police work was required, involving careful examination of hours of CCTV footage.

"The fact that people came forward, told us what they had seen and were prepared to testify in court, meant we were able to charge these dangerous offenders and put them through the courts."