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Wedding party gunman jailed for six years
Pictured outside of Sheffield Crown Court , are Mazhar Nawab
A CONVICTED drug dealer nicknamed ‘Mugabe’ who fired a gun into a room full of terrified wedding guests at a Sheffield hotel has been jailed for six years.
Shocked guests cowered beneath tables as Mazhar Hussain Nawab fired the pistol three times at the Sheffield Park Hotel, Meadowhead, in March last year.
One bullet hit the ceiling, while two shot across the room, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
Nawab, aged 40, who admitted possessing a prohibited firearm, pleaded guilty on the basis he had not intended to fire the pistol, but did so accidentally after discovering a plot to attack him.
Ian Goldsack, prosecuting, said the wedding of Zabor Hussain and Alisha Zaffar was on Saturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13, in the Hadfield Suite and 450 guests were invited.
He said there had been ill- feeling and the groom’s uncle, Shuquit Din and his relatives were ostracised from the rest of the family, but were invited on the agreement they would behave.
Mr Goldsack said that shortly after 8pm on the Sunday, Mr Din’s teenage son Saif noticed Nawab had a gun in his inside pocket and told his cousin, Shamwaz Nazir.
Mr Goldsack said: “Mr Nazir went to speak to Nawab and thought he was going to get the gun out of his pocket. It was in that context he struck out with a fist towards Nawab.”
CCTV showed the gun falling from Nawab’s pocket and onto a table as he was brought to the floor.
He was seen getting up, lunging for the gun and firing it, before being tackled by a group of men including 16-year-old Saif, who eventually disarmed him.
Jailing Nawab, of Vickers Road, Firth Park, for six years, Judge Robert Moore told him: “Instead of leaving, you armed yourself with a loaded pistol.
“In the skirmish you fired all three live rounds. It’s a matter of luck nobody was seriously injured or worse.”
Detective Chief Inspector Zaf Ali said: “This was a challenging investigation. There were more than 400 guests to trace and, because it was a violent offence, some people were reluctant to come forward, but others bravely did.
“We were lucky no-one was killed or seriously hurt. Shots were fired and had it not been for the brave actions of the victim and his family, it could have ended in tragedy.
“Despite what Nawab said about it not being his gun, he was clearly involved.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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