Two rival factions were involved in tit-for-tat attacks which included cars being set alight, a house and businesses being rammed by vehicles.
A court has heard that a bitter gangland feud culminated in a shooting in a quiet residential street. Two rival factions were involved in tit-for-tat attacks across County Durham this year which included cars being set alight, a house and businesses being rammed by vehicles, and eventually a van being shot at in a street.
On Sunday, January 7, Stephenson, Ellison, Oliver, Miller and Griffin "began putting the plan into action", when a Skoda, a BMW and a Mitsubishi Shogun all travelled to an address in Hartlepool. The Shogun was then rammed into the front of a house as four children slept inside with their mother. A car was also set alight, but no injuries were sustained.
Hirst said that within 24 hours of the incident, Oliver made a call to police as people were causing damage to his property and attempting to gain entry. She said: "Oliver said people had weapons, guns, acid and knives. Police went to the address and spoke to him. There was damage caused to the front of the property. This was less than 24 hours after the arson and the prosecution submit this was retaliation for what the defendant had done.
When they arrived at the shops to confront the rival faction, several shots were fired in the direction of the van that was ramming the shop fronts. Hirst said: "The shop was still being rammed when defendants shot directly at the van. The occupants of the van drove straight towards the Shogun. They continued to fire directly at the van at close range."
Detectives used the CCTV to create a timeline of movements and data from several digital devices, including messages on mobile phones, was used as vital evidence to piece together what had happened and who was involved. However, the gun fired during the shooting on January 8 has never been recovered.
Anthony Davis, for Oliver, of Inchcape Terrace, Grants Houses, said he had no previous convictions, and Jeremy Barton for Ellison, of Thorpe Crescent, Peterlee, said he was a young member of the gang who had become "entrenched in drug use" from a young age.
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