A father and son face life behind bars after the female American assassin they hired to settle a long-running feud botched the contract.
Mohammed Nazir, 30, and Mohammed Aslam, 56, recruited Aimee Betro, 44, to kill the head of a rival family after coming off worse in a fight at a boutique clothing shop.
In September 2019 the pair flew Betro over from the States to Birmingham, to take out Sikander Ali.
The plan was simple. Betro disguised herself in a hijab and calmly walked over to Sikander Ali having arranged a meeting with him on the pretence of buying a car.
As she approached her target, she raised her hand holding the gun to his head and pulled the trigger but the gun jammed at the vital moment and Mr Ali fled.
Despite missing her best opportunity to carry out the hit Betro went to the target’s house later and fired three shots at it.
Mohammed Aslam was found guilty of conspiracy to murder after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court
His son Mohammed Nazir was also convicted. The pair fair sentence on August 9 this year
Birmingham Crown Court heard Betro pulled up in a Mercedes before Mr Ali pulled up in an Audi nearby.
Kevin Hegarty KC, prosecuting said: ‘As he did the would-be assassin came from the driver’s side of the Mercedes. It was a woman.
‘As she left the Mercedes she left the driver’s door open. She walked quite calmly towards Sikander Ali and was pointing a gun at him at head height.
‘As she got closer to Sikander Ali he saw her and he saw the gun and she pulled the trigger to fire the gun at him. Mercifully and luckily for him the gun jammed.’
Betro fled back to America two days after the botched assassination attempt and did not stand trial.
Measham Grove, Acocks Green where the hit was supposed to be carried out by the assassin
But Nazir and Aslam, of Derby, were found guilty of conspiracy to murder following a trial and will be sentenced on 9 August.
Nazir was also convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, illegally importing firearms and perverting the course of justice.
Jurors were told the pair held a grudge against the family following a dispute at a boutique clothing store in 2018 which left them both injured.
Mr Hegarty said in the early hours of the morning after the hit Betro called a taxi firm and went to Measham Grove again.
He added: ‘She took out a gun, it may have been the same gun.
‘She took aim and fired three shots in the direction of the house before returning to the waiting taxi.’
Jurors heard Betro arrived in Britain on August 22 – 16 days before the attack.
In the days leading up to the incident she stayed at a number of hotels in Birmingham, Derby, Brighton and London and left the UK on September 9.
Detective Inspector Matt Marston, from West Midlands Police, said afterwards: ‘Aslam and Nazir were determined to take revenge following a fall out where they were injured.
‘The lengths they went to in trying to make sure they weren’t implicated in pulling the trigger are immense.
‘However, thanks to some great police work and support from our Derbyshire colleagues we were able to place them firmly in the middle of the attempted murder plot.’