Tenth man jailed following Bedford gang shooting

A tenth man has been jailed after a gang feud escalated into a night of street warfare, which a judge previously described as '˜a scene more reminiscent of Chicago in the 1920s'.
Marcus Rizwani was sentenced to 15 years' jail at Luton Crown Court last Thursday (July 5)Marcus Rizwani was sentenced to 15 years' jail at Luton Crown Court last Thursday (July 5)
Marcus Rizwani was sentenced to 15 years' jail at Luton Crown Court last Thursday (July 5)

Marcus Rizwani, 22, of Barton Road, Bedford, was sentenced to a total of 15 years in jail for conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, including four years to serve concurrently for possession of a self-loading / pump action shotgun, in relation to an incident which took place on Friday 8 July, into Saturday 9 July, 2016.

The sentence increases Bedfordshire Police’s largest ever prison sentencing for one case to 185 years.

Police were initially called to reports of a drive-by shooting with automatic weapons in Faraday Square, Bedford, on Friday 8 July 2016, in which a woman was shot in the arm. During the night, two gangs continued to fire retaliation shots at each other.

Nine other men were sentenced to a combined total of 170 years for their part in the night of violence, which the judge previously described as ‘a scene more reminiscent of Chicago in the 1920s’.

Detective Chief Inspector Will Hawkes, senior investigating officer for the case, said: “We are glad that these individuals have all received significant jail-time for their dangerous, abhorrent and unacceptable behaviour. The county is a safer place without them on the streets.

“Each of those involved had a role to play in a shocking evening of violence. It was fortunate that there were no further serious injuries or deaths.

“Our team has worked tirelessly over the last two years to bring these men to justice and this sentence brings their work to a positive conclusion. I can only thank everyone involved, from the first responders on the night, to the investigation team, CPS, and the barristers, for their commitment to dealing with this case.

“We are determined that gang-related violence in Bedfordshire will be dealt with robustly, and we work alongside our partner agencies to tackle this type of criminality to keep our communities safe.”

The two men sentenced in April 2018 were:

Mohammed Islam, 22, of Iddesleigh Road, Bedford was sentenced to 16 years

Shozel Ahmed, 23, of Foxglove Way, Bedford, was sentenced to 16 years

The man sentenced in February 2018 was:

Abdul Kadir, 38, of Dunham Close Bedford was sentenced to 19 years

The six men sentenced in November 2017 were:

Mohammed Waez, 21, of Lovell Road, Bedford was sentenced to 22 years

Shuheb Ali, 19, of Ashmead Road, Bedford was sentenced to 20 years

Abul Faiz, 21, of Collie Road, Bedford was sentenced to 22 years

Kierran Hall, 21, of Grange Close, Houghton Conquest was sentenced to 20 years

Ryan Cockings, 20, of Whitby Bay, Bedford was sentenced to 15 years

Tavon Carter, 21, of Romsey Way, Bedford was sentenced to 20 years