Men jailed after gun fired through house window

Two men have been jailed after shots were fired through the window of a house while a family was at home in the Black Country.

Sharif Cousins, 50, and James Gray, 28, shot the handgun through the windows of the property in Princethorpe Road, Willenhall, in the early hours of 26 May 2025.

A second shot was fired outside the house - where a family of five, including two children, lived - striking a car, West Midlands Police said.

Cousins, of Chester Road, Sutton Coldfield and Gray of Barass Lane, Coventry, were sentenced to 12 years and 9.5 years in custody respectively, at Birmingham Crown Court, after being convicted of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Following the sentencing hearing on 12 May, Det Insp Racheal Allen, who led the investigation, said it was "a miracle no-one was killed or injured" in the attack.

Upon his release, Cousins was ordered to serve an extra three years on licence.

The defendants were both also ordered to pay a victim surcharge penalty of a £228 each.

Allen said: "This was a reckless attack on a home occupied by a family.

"Gun crime is a danger that we cannot tolerate and this sentencing sends a strong message that those who use weapons on our streets that they will be punished and spend many years behind bars for their actions."

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