Five men from Birmingham are awaiting lengthy prison sentences after admitting their roles in a planned shotgun attack that left a father with serious injuries in broad daylight.
A Calculated and Violent Assault
The shocking incident occurred on Charles Foster Street in Darlaston at around 9am on 11 October last year. The victim, Nadeem Khan, was in his 40s and had just returned home from the school run. As he sat in his BMW making a phone call, a gunman inside a Toyota C-HR opened fire with a sawn-off double-barrelled shotgun.
The force of the blast blew out the car's windows. The assailant then got out of the Toyota and continued to fire at Mr Khan before fleeing with accomplices. The father was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham with wounds to his face, hands and lower body.
The attack caused such fear in the community that a local school reportedly cancelled a church trip, keeping children indoors on safety grounds.
Meticulous Planning and Failed First Attempt
Prosecutor Darren Whitehead outlined at Wolverhampton Crown Court how the plot unfolded over several days. The court heard that the gang conducted a reconnaissance mission two days before the shooting, on 9 October.
Travelling from Birmingham to Darlaston in three cars—a Range Rover Evoque, a red Audi A3, and a Toyota—they located the victim's home. They even changed the Toyota's registration plates on Hampton Place, a street about a mile away.
The gang returned the following day, 10 October, intending to carry out the attack but missed their opportunity. Mr Khan had gone inside his house just two minutes before their arrival. “Their target had already gone inside his home and so the opportunity to shoot him... had been missed. The mission that day appears to have been called off,” Mr Whitehead told the court.
The Fatal Morning and Arrests
Learning from their mistake, the perpetrators set out earlier on the day of the attack, 11 October. Some left Birmingham at 5am in a stolen Range Rover, which unbeknownst to them had an embedded SIM card transmitting location data.
After collecting the hidden Toyota, they lay in wait. When Mr Khan pulled onto his driveway at 8.55am and remained in his car, the Toyota passed by, reversed, and the shooter fired through the rear passenger window.
The gang then regrouped, changed plates again, and returned to Birmingham. A major police investigation led to the arrests of the five defendants between 22 October and 1 November.
The men who pleaded guilty are: Shamus Hussain, 26; Mohammed Ishtiaq, 23; Abdullah Amjad, 23; Samir Khan, 19; and Dilawar Khan, 20. All are from various areas of Birmingham. The actual gunman remains at large.
Courtroom Admissions and Sentencing Ahead
On the second day of their trial in July, all five admitted conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent and conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life. They appeared again for a facts hearing on 4 December.
The court heard varying levels of involvement. Amjad, who had no prior convictions, was said to have been “recruited” to provide “logistical support” and was in the front passenger seat of the Toyota during the shooting. His defence claimed he did not want the victim shot.
Ishtiaq was implicated in providing the firearm but was in Birmingham during the attack. Hussain’s role was described as driving the Audi during the reconnaissance. Dilawar and Samir Khan were in the Range Rover acting as a getaway vehicle.
In mitigation, letters expressing remorse were submitted to the court. Dilawar Khan wrote, “I was young and stupid at the time. I did not think about the consequences.”
Judge Michael Chambers KC will sentence all five men in January 2026. They now face substantial periods of incarceration for their parts in the meticulously planned and executed violence.
