Sentencing day for gunman who shot 12-year-old boy in Sheffield street

Stephen Dunford, aged 25, will discover his fate at a hearing at Sheffield Crown Court but has already been warned that the judge in the case is considering life.

Dunford, of Fellbrigg Road, Arbourthorne, was found guilty of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after a trial.

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He was convicted on the basis that he was the gunman who opened fire at a group of children in Northern Avenue, Arbourthorne, in January – hitting a 12-year-old boy in his thigh.

The youngster still has the bullet lodged in his leg because of complications with removing it.

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Another boy was said to have had a ‘miraculous escape,’ with a bullet only narrowly missing his head and neck.

Dunford was also found guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life over another shooting on Northcote Avenue, Heeley, two days before.

Brandon Bailey, 26, of Manor Park Way, Manor Park, is also to be sentenced today after being found guilty of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life.

He was arrested as part of a wider police probe into the shooting and his DNA was found on a firearm recovered by officers.

It is not claimed he was in the car at the time of the shooting.

Speaking after the trial last month, Julian Briggs from the Crown Prosecution Service described Dunford as a ‘highly dangerous individual’.

He said: “Although it is likely that the young boy was not the intended target, the jury decided that Dunford’s clear intention that day was to kill someone.

“It is only by great good fortune that Dunford’s actions did not result in the tragic death of the 12-year-old child. The second child also narrowly escaped serious injury or death.”

Judge Jeremy Richardson QC has already warned Dunford of the length of sentence he could receive.

After Dunford was found guilty, the judge said: “It is likely to be a substantial sentence and I may well be considering a life sentence.”

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