A man who helped to organise a staged doorstep gun threat in Leeds as part of a revenge plot linked to a bitter divorce dispute has been jailed on Monday 23 December.
CCTV captured the moment two masked males armed with what appeared to be long-barrelled firearm made the threat to Inderjeet Gosal at his home in Ash Hill Shadwell on Friday, 31 July 2020.
He acted shocked for the camera and later made a panicked 999 call reporting the incident but telltale laughter on the footage trigger police suspicions which uncovered the plot.
The gunmen had told him to “stay out of Jonny’s business, stay out of your sister’s case”.
Gosal’s wife Harpreet and sister Hardeep Sangha were at the address at the time, and he told officers he believed the threat was linked to an ongoing divorce case involving his sister’s ex-husband Harpal Sangha, known as Jonny or Jon.
Harpal Sangha was arrested the next day on suspicion of witness intimidation and held in police custody for 15 hours. He was initially released on bail but was later eliminated from the investigation.
Gosal provided CCTV of the incident to detectives and when it was reviewed their suspicions were raised when they heard laughing after he and his wife returned to the living room where his sister had remained.
It was found that Harpal Sangha had been the victim of a firearm-related set-up in April 2017 when police received information that he had a sawn-off shotgun hidden in the garden of his home in Huddersfield.
The gun was recovered at the property, and he was arrested on suspicion of firearms offences.
The shotgun was forensically examined, and DNA found inside the weapon linked it to Sabu Singh, who was Hardeep Sangha’s boyfriend.
Singh was subsequently charged with possession of a firearm without a certificate and perverting the course of justice in relation to planting the gun.
He was convicted in November 2018 and sentenced to three years imprisonment. Hardeep Sangha received a two-year suspended sentence for her part in the plot.
Police enquiries identified the males who had called at the Gosals’ home in Shadwell as Kane Allen and Matias Jozio, who were then aged 16 and 17 respectively, and uncovered evidence linking the six to the conspiracy.
Telephone evidence showed Allen in contact with Singh on the day of the incident and Singh in contact with his partner Hardeep Sangha and the Gosals. Singh was shown to be the main orchestrator of the plot to incriminate Harpal Sangha.
Between the initial incident and mid-September, police received various reports of threatening phone calls being made to the Gosals and Hardeep Sangha.
Further phone enquiries showed contact between those involved around the time of the calls, suggesting the calls had also been arranged as part of the plot against Harpal Sangha.
On 2 September 2020, five masked males attended Harpal Sangha’s parents’ convenience store in Huddersfield, which he lived above.
One shouted “tell Jonny to pay” before the group caused £2,000 worth of damage in the shop. This occurred the day before a court hearing in relation to the divorce.
Jozio was identified as one of the males at the scene and enquiries also linked Kane and showed Sabu Singh involving in arranging the attack.
On 28 September 28, 2020, officers moved in to arrest the Gosals from their address in Shadwell and Hardeep Sangha from her home in Holmfirth, where Singh was found in the attic bedroom.
Their homes were searched, and mobile phones were recovered linking them to the calls made around the reported incidents.
An audio recording recovered from Inderjeet Gosal’s phone also featured those involved in the plot meeting on August 9 in Oakwood to discuss their plans.
Singh gave no comment during his interviews after initially denying any knowledge of the gun threat incident.
All six were charged with offences of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, with Singh, Allen and Jozio also charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage in relation to the attack on the shop.
All but Singh were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court in August this year.
Hardeep Sangha, aged 40, of New Mill Road, Holmfirth, was sentenced to four years and seven months imprisonment, and Inderjeet Gosal, aged 42, of Ash Hill Lane, Shadwell, was jailed for three years and one month.
Harpreet Gosal, aged 37, of Ash Hill Lane, Shadwell, was given a sentence of nine months, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and complete 12 rehabilitation requirement days.
Kane Allen, aged 20, of The Rein, Leeds, was sentenced to 15 months, suspended for 18 months, with 25 rehabilitation requirement days and a five-month curfew.
Matias Jozio, aged 21, of Amberton Mount, Leeds, was sentenced to 17 months, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and complete 15 rehabilitation requirement days.
Today at Leeds Crown Court, Singh, aged 49, of Sandhill Lane, Moortown, was sentenced to a total of three years and seven months.
Detective Chief Inspector Michael Herbert, who led the Leeds District CID investigation, said: “The criminal use of firearms is something the police will always treat extremely seriously, and a report of a man being threatened at gunpoint on the doorstep of his family home was a real cause for concern that attracted a significant police response and investigation.
“Those involved clearly underestimated the level of focus that we apply to a serious incident such as this.
“We hope the successful outcome of this case will serve as a clear reminder to people who think they can make false reports to police to target their enemies without the truth being uncovered.”
