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Gunman jailed for opening fire at baby's gender reveal party

‘Where’s your f***ing muppet boyfriend? He is dead’, Ward shouted

Samuel Osborne
Wednesday 15 May 2019 14:35 BST
Ward and several other passengers repeatedly drove around the venue, shouting abuse at those inside
Ward and several other passengers repeatedly drove around the venue, shouting abuse at those inside

A man has been jailed for shooting another man in the street at a baby gender reveal party.

Aaron Ward, 26, was sentenced to 26 years and three months in prison for the shooting outside the Harehill Tavern pub in Hattersley, Greater Manchester.

Ward’s former girlfriend and her new partner were holding the party to reveal the gender of their new baby on 17 November last year.

Ward and several other passengers repeatedly drove around the venue, shouting abuse at those inside.

He was apparently “unhappy” he was being “restricted” from seeing his daughter, Manchester Crown Court heard, according to the Manchester Evening News.

“Where’s your f***ing muppet boyfriend? He is dead,” Ward shouted at those outside the pub, the paper reported. “Watch, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Ward fled the area but later returned in a different car and was seen waving a handgun in the direction of those stood outside the pub, telling them: “You’re all going to get it.”

The victim, a man in his 30s, then approached the vehicle and was shot in his abdomen.

He underwent surgery and police said he was “recovering well”.

Ward will spend five years on licence, having pleaded guilty to attempted murder.

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Duncan Thorpe, a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police, said: “In November of last year Aaron Ward, in a fit of anger and rage, made the horrifying decision to brandish a gun in front of so many people.

“He had absolutely no respect for the safety of others and for the potentially catastrophic repercussions of his actions.

“It is only down to sheer luck, coupled with the best efforts of emergency services staff who treated the victim in hospital, that today Ward is not being sentenced for murder.

“This being said, it is important not to underestimate the injuries sustained by the victim as the bullet narrowly missed vital organs and thankfully he is recovering well.”

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