Hooded pair who were in rioting gang which fired gun at police helicopter are jailed for a total of 64 years
Two men who were part of a gang which shot at a police helicopter as well as officers on the ground during last year’s riots have been jailed.
Beniha Laing, 29, and Wesley Gray, 27, organised a mob which fired at the West Midlands Police helicopter after luring officers to the scene by firebombing a pub.
They used violence that began in London after the police shooting of Mark Duggan and then flared around the country as an excuse to target police officers in a deliberate attempt to destroy the aircraft.
The violence erupted in Birmingham when officers were forced to run for safety as windows behind them were shattered by bullets being fired from four different guns.
Jailed: Beniha Laing, 29, and Wesley Gray, 27, organised a mob who fired at the West Midlands Police helicopter after luring cops to the scene by firebombing a pub
Members of the gang discharged at least 12 shots at officers and shocking CCTV footage then shows others taking aim and firing a gun at the force helicopter on two occasions
Birmingham Crown Court heard how the men planned and orchestrated an attack on police at the height of the disorder in the city when they knew that police resources were stretched
Police had been dispatched to deal with reports of a fire at the Bartons Arms pub in the Newtown area of the city on August 9 last year.
When the officers arrived on the scene they were faced with a group of masked and hooded youths armed with bats and various items of furniture taken from the pub – which they used to barricade the High Street.
Emmlaw 