Three men have been jailed after the shooting of a firearm at a car in Lancaster.
Connor Lynch, 26, of Long Acre, Bamber Bridge, Sean Corless, 40, of no fixed abode, and Niall Thompson, 29, of no fixed abode, all appeared in the dock before Judge Graham Knowles at Preston Crown Court today (August 8), after the incident in 2023.
The incident began when Thompson committed a burglary, at around 8:30pm on 25th January 2023. He broke into a house on Whams Lane in Lancaster and stole a blue BMW series 2.
He drove the car through Lancaster, on his way to Heysham, keeping in contact with Lynch and Corless as he did so.
At 10:23, the BMW arrived on Ennerdale Close and reversed towards a nearby car. A single shot was fired at the vehicle, shattering the rear windscreen, and causing extensive damage to the bodywork.
The BMW then drove off at speed, mounting the pavement and narrowly avoiding a collision with an oncoming taxi.
The firearm, whilst never recovered, was thought to be a shotgun, due to the damage caused, and pellet marks located on the other vehicle.
The BMW continued on to Heysham, where it was abandoned on a farm track near to Meldon Road. They then set the BMW on fire, to destroy any forensic evidence.
Enquiries led to locating a number of items which had been discarded on the route between where the BMW had been abandoned, and a property where it had visited before the incident.
These items included a can of Jack Daniels & Coke, which had DNA that matched Corless, and a glove that had DNA matching both Lynch and Corless. The glove also held gunshot residues, which consist of the particles that are expelled when a gun is fired.
Lynch, Corless and Thompson were all identified as a result of enquiries and were arrested. When Lynch was arrested, he told our officers “I knew it was coming anyway.”
Following a search, a green spent shotgun cartridge, which was hidden in a pencil case, which was in turn in a storage unit within the living room of the property he was located in and a machete were found.
Thompson was arrested after police attempted to stop a vehicle he was travelling in. He ran off, and was later located hiding in a garden.
The three pleaded guilty, and Corless was sentenced to five years, Lynch to six years and Thompson to four years and three months.
DCI Lee Wilson, of Lancashire Police said: “These three men used a firearm, in an attempt to wreak revenge on fellow criminals- they had no care for the potential risks to the public and devastation their dangerous and reckless actions would cause. In this case, fortunately no one was injured, but the outcome could have so easily been different.
“They then fled the scene, attempting to cover their tracks by setting the stolen vehicle they used on fire in an effort to avoid detection. This has been a labour intensive investigation led by detective officers from Lancaster CID and I pay tribute to their tenacity and determination to bring these three dangerous men before the courts.
“I hope this sends a clear message to anyone who thinks that showcasing this level of criminality, with a firearm that is wholly unacceptable, and will not be tolerated in Lancashire.
“Incidents involving firearms are rare in our county, but I recognise this caused a lot of concern to the community at the time, I hope that it provides some comfort to the community to know that these men are behind bars.”
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