A MAN staged a drive-by shooting at his ex-partner’s home, firing at her as she stood on her doorstep.

At Bolton Crown Court Wayne Daley was jailed for three years and four months for leading the attack, with Judge Graeme Smith telling him he had “terrified” his former partner, Victoria Carty.

“It would be difficult to overstate the sheer terror that anyone would experience faced with a car full of people, several pointing guns, and then they start to shoot,” he said.

“So when Victoria Carty says that she has never felt in so much fear for her life and those of her children, that is very unlikely to be an exaggeration.”

Hugh Barton, prosecuting, told how Miss Carty and her new partner were at home in Beechcroft Avenue, Darcy Lever with two of her children on the evening of June 27, 2018, when they decided to order a takeaway.

Miss Carty and her partner were stood in the doorway waiting for it to be delivered when a BMW, driven by 24-year-old Sheldon McCarthy, pulled into the street.

“The car screeched to a halt directly in front the house,” said Mr Barton who added that passenger Wayne Daley yelled abuse at her. “She saw that there were a number of men in the car. She then saw what appeared to be , to her, three gun barrels pointing towards her from within the car. Almost immediately, shots were fired towards her.”

Miss Carty felt something hit her head more than once and her finger was injured as she tried to protect her face.

Daley had fired the shots from a BB gun, fellow passenger Nathan Hutchinson admitted holding a BB gun up but not firing it and a third gunman has not been caught.

“The incident ended as quickly as it began,” said Mr Barton, who added that, fortunately, Miss Carty’s only injury was a bruised finger.

He said that Daley’s previous relationship with Miss Carthy had been “tempestuous and violent. It seemed he harboured a grudge against her.”

Daley, aged 22, of Heron Avenue, Bolton, and Nathan Hutchinson, aged 23, of Grasmere Avenue, Farnworth, each pleaded guilty to possessing an imitation firearm with intent. Hutchinson was jailed for 27 months.

Sheldon McCarthy, of Lupin Avenue, Farnworth, admitted assisting an offender and was sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for a year. He must undertake 60 hours of unpaid work and participate in 15 days of rehabilitation activities.

Nicholas Ross, defending, said Daley has, “no excuses. He showed very poor judgement helped, no doubt, by intoxication and cocaine.

“He said he was disgusted with what he did.”

Neil Ronan, defending, said that Hutchinson had been badly bullied as a child and had not wanted to challenge the plan to threaten Miss Carty with the guns. “His intention, really, was the acceptance of his peers,” he added.

Jaime Hamilton QC, for McCarthy, said he accepts he reacted poorly to the situation and should have behaved better.

Judge Smith told the three defendants that, although the guns were imitation firearms, they were still capable of causing serious injury,

“There couldn’t possibly be any excuse for behaviour of this type,” he said. “It was reckless, it was thoughtless, it was callous behaviour designed and intended to terrify.”