The victim said he was always looking over his shoulder after the ordeal
A frightened delivery driver said he had woken his wife and daughter by screaming in the night after he was threatened with a “firearm”. Mohammad Gani told Liverpool Crown Court that he felt he was always looking over his shoulder due to fears that “someone with a gun was chasing me” after the weapon was pointed at him following a dispute over where he parked.
Mr Gani had been delivering food for his restaurant on Victoria Road, Tranmere, at around 6.30pm on August 9 this year when he was verbally abused and threatened by Anthony Cooper – a 50-year-old dad-of-two. Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Monday, October 14 that when Mr Gani pulled up outside an address a man, later confirmed to be defendant Cooper, stepped aside and shouted at him to move.
The court heard Cooper then got into his car, parked on the driveway, and reversed so he was half way out over the pavement. Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, told the court that there wasn’t enough room to get out onto the road so began shouting abuse again towards Mr Gani, who said he was just delivering an order and would move shortly.
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The court heard Cooper shouted towards the driver “just get out of here or I will knock you out”. Mr Blasbery added the defendant then made reference to Mr Gani’s apron, “causing him anxiety” as he was concerned Cooper would now know where he worked. The court heard the defendant’s aggression continued until a concerned neighbour came out to try and deescalate the tension.
However, the defendant told Mr Gani “wait there, I will show you now, I will show you now” before going back into his home. Mr Gani, “concerned about a weapon”, got back into his car and reversed all the way back down Victoria Road. However, the defendant got into his car and chased after Mr Gani before pulling up alongside him at the junction with Derby Road.
Mr Blasbery said the defendant rolled down his window before he “pointed a silver and black type pistol firearm” at him and said “what now, what now”. Mr Blasbery added Cooper initially had the firearm close to his chest before extending his arm and pointing it towards Mr Gani until it was “half inside the driver’s window”.
Mr Gani, said to be “completely frightened”, drove away at speed before dialling 999. Cooper’s car was eventually stopped by armed officers in Anfield later that day. Following a search of his house officers found a BB pellet gun, which was confirmed to have been the weapon used to threaten Mr Gani.
The court heard Cooper told officers he had a heated exchange with Mr Gani where both threatened to knock each other out. He said he went back into his house to collect his cigarettes and wallet because he was going to Anfield to have his phone fixed. When he was shown an exhibit of the gun, he told officers it was a BB gun that he used to “shoot birds that attacked the puppies he bred for sale”.
He denied having it when he pulled up next to Mr Gani and said he hadn’t moved it for months. However, Mr Blasbery said when he was shown still images of the exchange he admitted having it with him. The court heard Cooper was also disqualified from driving at the time of the offence.
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Mr Blasbery also read a victim impact statement from Mr Gani to the court. Mr Gani said he had been unable to return to work due to fear “someone with a gun is chasing me”. He said he felt like he was always looking over his shoulder and had woken both his wife and young daughter due to screaming out during the night. He added: “All I want to do is make a living but now I live in fear.”
The court heard the defendant, of Victoria Road in Tranmere, had seven previous convictions for 19 offences between November 2019 and November last year. The court heard he entered guilty pleas to possession of an imitation firearm with intent, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance at a plea and trial preparation hearing at the same court on September 9 this year.
In mitigation, Cheryl Mottram, defending, told the court her client’s best mitigation was his guilty pleas. She said: “He is extremely remorseful for the situation and the fear and distress caused to Mr Gani. It was a moment of madness, he can’t put into words why he behaved in the way he did, he has previous convictions but they are of a different ilk, he can’t explain his actions.”
She said her client was under previous stress. The court heard he has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and bowel cancer, while his partner also has had health difficulties. The court heard he worked as a chef and was the sole provider for his family, and had two children aged 14 and eight.
She added: “When in a frustrating situation he behaved really badly and didn’t think of the consequences of his actions…he is a man who can comply with community orders, he doesn’t present a high risk of danger to the public, he has strong personal mitigation and it may be that just on balance your honour can draw back from the immediate custodial sentence.”
Sentencing, Mr Recorder Mark Cooper told the defendant that his decision to chase after Mr Gani in his car when banned from driving “was beyond me”. He told him: “Your actions were wholly inappropriate. You were extremely aggressive to him and made a deliberate choice to go and get the gun.
“There is no justification for your actions. It was a moment of madness and I agree with that.” The judge told Cooper that the events of that evening had had “a profound impact” on Mr Gani and it was “right to acknowledge the toll your actions have had on him”.
Judge Cooper told the defendant he accepted the mitigation presented to the court and had treated it as an isolated incident. He sentenced Cooper to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. Cooper, wearing a Nike tracksuit top and Adidas bottoms and sporting grey hair, looked to the heavens and clasped his hands together when he learned his prison sentence wouldn’t be immediate.
The judge, who told Cooper: “I’ve given you a chance,” also imposed 200 hours of unpaid work, and ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the gun. The judge did not impose any further driving penalty as Cooper still has another two years on his original driving ban.
