Dudley man found guilty of manslaughter for helping plan drive-by shooting of father-of-four

A man from Dudley who co-ordinated the drive-by shooting of a father-of-four has been convicted of manslaughter.

39-year-old Mohammed Haroon Zeb, who was known as Haroon, was shot in the head outside his home in Queens Cross during the early hours of 31 January, 2021. Akeel Hussain, 23, helped arrange the planned attack as part of an ongoing feud between families.

Two men who were in the Volkswagen Golf, from which the fatal gunshot was fired were convicted of the murder of Mr Zeb earlier this year and jailed for 60 years. 

West Midlands Police say that examination of a range of evidence, including mobile phone footage and social media, showed that Hussain played a prominent role in planning the shooting.

A trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court concluded yesterday and found Hussain guilty of manslaughter.

Mohammed Rafiq, 22, also of Dudley, was involved in helping to conceal the Golf - which was on false plates - and later recovered in Telford. He was convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice and will be sentenced the same day. 

Detective Superintendent Jim Munro, who led the investigation, said: "While Hussain may not have fired the fatal gunshot, he was integral to planning the shooting which tragically led to the death of Mr Zeb. 

"We will possibly never know why Mr Zeb was specifically targeted. He was not believed to have been actively involved in the feud but was following what was going on."

"We know nothing can ever replace the loss of a loved one, but we hope the fact Hussain will now spend considerable time behind bars will ease some of the pain felt by Mr Zeb's family," he added.

"We will always pursue and seek to convict anyone involved in a killing - from committing the act, planning the killing, or trying to protect others from facing justice."

Hussain, who currently in custody after recently being convicted of separate offences of violent disorder and possession with intent to supply will be sentenced along with Rafiq on the 1st December.

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