A getaway driver who helped a gunman flee after shooting a family home once stabbed a man in the back, a court has heard. James Gray's violent past emerged as he was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison for his role in a planned attack on a house in Willenhall, Walsall.
Five people, including parents and two children, were inside the property when it was targeted just before 2am on May 26 last year. Gray, 28, of Minstead Road, denied knowing it was a shooting, claiming he thought he was driving to a cannabis drug drop.
Conviction and Co-Defendant
Gray and ex-Burger Bar Boys gangster Sharif Cousins were both convicted of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. Prosecutor Sarah Slater said they were jointly involved, whether or not either was the actual shooter. Cousins, 50, of Chester Road, was jailed for 12 years with an extended three-year licence as a dangerous offender. His record includes drugs, burglary, robbery, and holding a gun to a police officer's head.
Gray's Criminal History
Gray had no previous firearm convictions but had been jailed for stabbing a man, admitted as a section 20 offence (GBH). He also had convictions for possession of an offensive weapon and possession with intent to supply class A drugs. Judge Dean Kershaw noted: "Yes, he stabbed someone in the back." Gray claimed it was an accident gone wrong, but the judge rejected this, saying: "You don't plead guilty for an accident gone wrong."
The Shooting Incident
On the day of the shooting, Gray used his father's mobility car as a getaway vehicle, picking up Cousins and another male. Two gunshots were fired from a revolver—one through the kitchen window, the other into a vehicle on the driveway. Judge Kershaw told Gray: "I reject the idea that you thought it was a cannabis drug drop. You were the driver, you knew full well the plan. Being a getaway driver isn't a lesser role; it's a very important role to ensure the shooter gets away."
Defense Argument
Marcus Harry, representing Gray, said his client does not accept prior knowledge of the shooting but acknowledges the impact on others. Harry stated: "He accepts what he did contribute to the end product, but not having knowledge that a gun would be fired."
