"she was rewarded for taking part in it"
A father and son were jailed for a total of 42 years after being convicted of conspiracy to murder.
Mohammed Nazir and his father Mohammed Aslam allegedly hired Aimee Betro to assassinate shopkeeper Sikander Ali at his home in Birmingham in September 2019.
The murder was unsuccessful as the gun jammed.
Birmingham Crown Court heard the US national had arranged to meet Mr Ali, who was the son of Aslat Mahamud, a man Nazir and Aslam had been feuding with.
The father and son developed a grudge against Mr Mahamud following a disorder at a boutique owned by the latter in July 2018.
The trio suffered injuries, with Aslam suffering a frontal lobe injury to his brain. Later that evening, windows were smashed at the defendants’ family home in Derby.
Judge Simon Drew KC said he was “quite satisfied that that series of incidents” in July 2018 was the motivation for what he described as the “revenge attack” that took place in September 2019.
Nazir allegedly recruited Betro, who he had “befriended”, to perform what the judge described as an “execution”, had it been successful.
He told Nazir: “It may be overstating it to describe this as a contract killing but the evidence suggests she was rewarded for taking part in it, certainly that seems the most likely explanation for how she became involved.”
Betro had returned to the US but extradition proceedings were now underway.
Nazir flew to America a few days after Betro, naming her as his point of contact on travel documentation.
He was arrested upon his return to the UK in October 2019. His father was arrested at his home.
Detectives discovered Nazir spent two hours in a Birmingham hotel allegedly with Betro, who was believed to have travelled to the UK more than a fortnight earlier, the night before it is alleged she pointed a gun at Mr Ali.
Betro is believed to have arrived in Armenia at least three years ago, having told friends and family she was going there to work as a DJ.
The court also heard Nazir was convicted of sexual assault in 2020 when he received a community penalty.
Aslam was convicted of fraud in 2019, which was quashed after an appeal.
Andrew Selby KC for Nazir, described him as a “family man”.
Ben Nolan KC, for Aslam, said he acted as a driver for his son “at a time when Nazir was disqualified (from driving)”.
He added: “It was a limited role, a supportive role and very much a secondary role.”
Nazir was found guilty of conspiracy to murder and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, perverting the course of justice, and illegally importing firearms over a plot to bring guns into Britain and then blame it on another person to frame them.
Aslam was found guilty of conspiracy to murder but cleared of a firearms offence.
Nazir was jailed for 32 years while Aslam received a 10-year prison sentence.
Loading ...