Siblings jailed over staged gun threat

A brother and sister have been jailed after they staged a fake gun threat to frame her ex-husband amid an acrimonious divorce.

CCTV footage captured the moment Inderjeet Gosal was seemingly threatened by two masked men at his home in Ash Hill Lane, Shadwell.

Armed with what appeared to be a long-barrelled gun, one of the men told him to “stay out of Jonny’s business, stay out of your sister’s case”.

However, Leeds Crown Court heard that Mr Gosal and his sister Hardeep Sangha had set up the plot to frame Ms Sangha's ex-husband, Harpal Sangha, known as Jonny.

West Yorkshire Police officers were sent to the scene on the evening of 31 July 2020 and began an investigation into the incident.

Mr Gosal, Ms Sangha and Mr Gosal's wife Harpreet were at the address at the time and he told officers he believed the threat was linked to his sister's ongoing divorce case.

Harpal Sangha was arrested the next day on suspicion of witness intimidation and held in police custody for 15 hours.

He was initially released on bail but was later eliminated from the investigation.

After watching the CCTV footage Mr Gosal provided, police said "telltale laughter" in the background sparked suspicion.

Further enquiries then revealed the two masked men to have been Kane Allen and Matias Jozio, who were then aged 16 and 17.

The Gosals and Hardeep Sangha also reported "threatening phone calls" to the police, which were later found to be staged.

On 2 September, 2020, five masked males attended Harpal Sangha’s parents’ convenience store in Huddersfield, which he lived above.

One man shouted “tell Jonny to pay” before the group caused £2,000 worth of damage in the shop.

Jozio was identified as one of the males at the scene and enquiries also linked Kane.

All five people involved in the plot were charged with conspiracy to pervert the court of public justice, which they admitted at Leeds Crown Court.

Jozio and Allen also admitted criminal damage.

At the sentencing hearing on Thursday, Hardeep Sangha, 40, of New Mill Road, Holmfirth, was sentenced to four years and seven months imprisonment.

Inderjeet Gosal, 42, of Ash Hill Lane, Shadwell, was jailed for three years and one month.

Harpreet Gosal, 37, of Ash Hill Lane, Shadwell, was given a sentence of nine months, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and complete 12 rehabilitation requirement days.

Kane Allen, 20, of The Rein, Leeds, was sentenced to 15 months, suspended for 18 months, with 25 rehabilitation requirement days and a five-month curfew.

Matias Jozio, 21, of Amberton Mount, Leeds, was sentenced to 17 months, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and complete 15 rehabilitation requirement days.

Det Insp Michael Herbert, who led the investigation, said: "This was a determined campaign to falsely implicate Hardeep Sangha’s ex-husband during what was obviously an acrimonious divorce.

"Their criminal endeavours caused him significant inconvenience and tied up police time and resources."

He hoped the successful outcome of the case would serve as a warning to people who thought they could make false reports to police to "target their enemies without the truth being uncovered".

"They may have been laughing on the CCTV clip, but I suspect they are not laughing now," he said.

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