heaven above
October 14th, 2004, 12:09 PM
30 years
A JAMAICAN jailed for 30 years for gunning down a man outside a Sheffield nightclub could have been deported months before the shooting.
Violent Kevin Ford, aged 25, could have been kicked out of Britain in the spring after a judge recommended deportation.
But immigration bosses never served the notice and four months later Ford opened fire a fellow Jamaican outside the Donkeyman's Afro Caribbean club, Spital Hill, in a "cold-blooded" drive-by-shooting.
Alton Chambers, aged 32, was left fighting for his life and had up to 30 per cent of his liver removed.
Another man, Christopher Gordon, 30, escaped unharmed after Ford fired a hail of bullets at their car.
After the hearing, Det Insp Steve Williams said: "Ford came to this country illegally with the intention of committing crime.
"He is a nasty and dangerous man who has been taken off the streets and put where he belongs - behind bars.
"The streets of Sheffield are a safer place tonight."
It is believed his 30 year sentence was one of the longest handed down in Sheffield.
Sheffield Crown Court heard Ford, of Verdon Street, Burngreave, may be a murder suspect on the run from Jamaica.
A set of fingerprints sent to the Caribbean force suggest he may have been responsible for killing a woman in Kingston, the island's capital, in the late 1990s, while using the name Edward Che Hechavaria.
Earlier this year a judge recommended Ford should be deported after he admitted indecently assaulting a teenage girl in Pitsmoor. He was jailed for a year but was never sent home.
Prosecutor Peter Johnson said: "On February 10 the case was adjourned under notice that an immigration order should be served.
"No such notice was served - the matter being in the hands of the Immigration Service. That is still the position, no notice has been served.
"We understand that the Immigration Service took the view that the sentence should not be met by deportation."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "There is no evidence to suggest that a recommendation to deport was made in relation to the case in February.
"We will however investigate this further in conjunction with other agencies."
During the attempted murder trial, the jury heard Ford drove up to his victims and fired three shots at their vehicle. One hit Mr Chambers in the chest, the other hit the car door and another missed.
He then fled, warning: "Now go and inform."
Ford, who was arrested in London days later, denied the charges, claiming he was at home poorly at the time of the shooting.
Mystery of what led to carnage at donkeYman's
MYSTERIOUS Kevin Ford has taken the secret of why he gunned down a man in a bloody drive-by shooting to prison .
The 25-year-old, who carries a relatively unknown past, never admitted why he attempted to murder two men as they sat in a car close to the Donkeyman's Afro Caribbean club in Spital Hill.
He said he hardly knew the victims. The victims claim they had only seen him on a few occasions while walking through Burngreave.
And Ford - described by police as the most laid-back defendant they had dealt with - yawned and joked with friends shortly before he was caged for 30 years.
Investigating officer Dc Ian Fiddler said: "He is a very cool man. He was completely unconcerned with what was going on."
Officers admitted there was no clear motive for the attack - although a drugs background had been suggested.
During sentencing, the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Alan Goldsack QC, said: "You and your victims are Jamaican and there is a well known gun culture in Jamaica.
"The shooting occurred in a part of this city where Class A drug dealing is prevalent.
"It was suggested that the crime was drug-related and that possibly is the case. However, none of those involved were prepared to divulge the background."
14 October 2004
A JAMAICAN jailed for 30 years for gunning down a man outside a Sheffield nightclub could have been deported months before the shooting.
Violent Kevin Ford, aged 25, could have been kicked out of Britain in the spring after a judge recommended deportation.
But immigration bosses never served the notice and four months later Ford opened fire a fellow Jamaican outside the Donkeyman's Afro Caribbean club, Spital Hill, in a "cold-blooded" drive-by-shooting.
Alton Chambers, aged 32, was left fighting for his life and had up to 30 per cent of his liver removed.
Another man, Christopher Gordon, 30, escaped unharmed after Ford fired a hail of bullets at their car.
After the hearing, Det Insp Steve Williams said: "Ford came to this country illegally with the intention of committing crime.
"He is a nasty and dangerous man who has been taken off the streets and put where he belongs - behind bars.
"The streets of Sheffield are a safer place tonight."
It is believed his 30 year sentence was one of the longest handed down in Sheffield.
Sheffield Crown Court heard Ford, of Verdon Street, Burngreave, may be a murder suspect on the run from Jamaica.
A set of fingerprints sent to the Caribbean force suggest he may have been responsible for killing a woman in Kingston, the island's capital, in the late 1990s, while using the name Edward Che Hechavaria.
Earlier this year a judge recommended Ford should be deported after he admitted indecently assaulting a teenage girl in Pitsmoor. He was jailed for a year but was never sent home.
Prosecutor Peter Johnson said: "On February 10 the case was adjourned under notice that an immigration order should be served.
"No such notice was served - the matter being in the hands of the Immigration Service. That is still the position, no notice has been served.
"We understand that the Immigration Service took the view that the sentence should not be met by deportation."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "There is no evidence to suggest that a recommendation to deport was made in relation to the case in February.
"We will however investigate this further in conjunction with other agencies."
During the attempted murder trial, the jury heard Ford drove up to his victims and fired three shots at their vehicle. One hit Mr Chambers in the chest, the other hit the car door and another missed.
He then fled, warning: "Now go and inform."
Ford, who was arrested in London days later, denied the charges, claiming he was at home poorly at the time of the shooting.
Mystery of what led to carnage at donkeYman's
MYSTERIOUS Kevin Ford has taken the secret of why he gunned down a man in a bloody drive-by shooting to prison .
The 25-year-old, who carries a relatively unknown past, never admitted why he attempted to murder two men as they sat in a car close to the Donkeyman's Afro Caribbean club in Spital Hill.
He said he hardly knew the victims. The victims claim they had only seen him on a few occasions while walking through Burngreave.
And Ford - described by police as the most laid-back defendant they had dealt with - yawned and joked with friends shortly before he was caged for 30 years.
Investigating officer Dc Ian Fiddler said: "He is a very cool man. He was completely unconcerned with what was going on."
Officers admitted there was no clear motive for the attack - although a drugs background had been suggested.
During sentencing, the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Alan Goldsack QC, said: "You and your victims are Jamaican and there is a well known gun culture in Jamaica.
"The shooting occurred in a part of this city where Class A drug dealing is prevalent.
"It was suggested that the crime was drug-related and that possibly is the case. However, none of those involved were prepared to divulge the background."
14 October 2004