‘Untouchable godfather’ of gun gang is jailed at last
The ‘untouchable Godfather’ of a gang which killed two teenagers has been jailed for more than 16 years after he admittedsupplying deadly weapons to the criminal underworld.
Nosakhere Stephenson headedBirmingham’s feared Burger Bar Boys, who shot bystanders Letisha Shakespeare, 17, and Charlene ellis, 18, during a drive-by shooting on a rival gang in 2003.
his 16-and-a-half year sentence comes as Birmingham reels from a month of shooting incidents which have left two dead and nine injured.
Stephenson, 41, is one of 18 men implicated in the supply of guns andammunition to criminals across the UK following an investigation by West Midlands Police set up in mid2014. It saw five deals intercepted, resulting in the recovery of eight firearms, including a MAC-10 machine gun and a pump action shotgun, andthousands of rounds of ammunition.
Although Stephenson was never caught in possession of the guns, phone records linked him to each deal and person involved in the conspiracy, including the gang’s armourer, Sundish Nazran, 32.
Stephenson and Nazran, both from handsworth, Birmingham, and 13 other men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transfer prohibited weapons and ammunition between March 4 last year and January 17 and were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court. Nazran received a 13-year jail term, while four others were jailedfor a total of 38 years and 11 months. The rest have yet to be sentenced.
Judge James Burbidge QC saidStephenson was the gang’s ‘go-to man’, adding: ‘You had significant influence over others and were able to command respect and allegiance.
‘You must know about the devastation caused to other families in your community when weapons have been used. The fact you must know that, yet still ply this trade, is beyond belief.’
Stephenson’s incarceration comes almost a decade after he was jailedfor 24 years over the 2002 murder of Ashia Walker. however he was later acquitted after a retrial.
Lead investigator Detective Chief Inspector Simon Wallis said: ‘Stephenson was widely-regarded as an untouchable Godfather.
‘he tried his best to distance himself from his accomplices but the exacting work of my team ... enabledus to prove he was at the centre of this highly-organised and extremely dangerous gun supply network.’