COURT JAILS TWO MEN FOR ASTON NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING

A court jailed Aaron Nubie and Kimani Durrell-Smith for 15 years each after they shot at one another outside FJ Lounge in Aston, Birmingham. The men had argued inside the nightclub before the shooting in the early hours of 23 March. Garth Pantry, who sold jerk chicken outside the venue, suffered a shoulder wound and partially collapsed lungs when gunfire caught him in the crossfire. The court also imposed a three-year extended licence period on each man after a judge classified them as dangerous offenders.

CCTV showed Nubie leave FJ Lounge and return with a gun, which he fired at Durrell-Smith as Durrell-Smith left the venue at about 6am. Durrell-Smith already had a gun and fired several shots back. Nubie arrived at hospital with a gunshot wound about half an hour later and initially told officers he could not remember how it happened. Police arrested Nubie, then arrested Durrell-Smith after a firearms warrant at an address in West Bromwich. Durrell-Smith had also suffered an injury and did not tell officers or healthcare staff what had happened.

Birmingham Crown Court found both men guilty of wounding with intent following a trial; both had previously admitted possessing a firearm. The judge said they had carried loaded handguns and “did not hesitate to use their lethal, illegal weapons”. Pantry told the court he had experienced night terrors and ongoing pain since the shooting. He also said his injuries had left him unable to work.