Swarcliffe Leeds shooting: Convicted people-trafficker fired a gun inside Elmet Way house during row

Christopher Hennigan took the gun to a house in Elmet Way in Swarcliffe, on the afternoon of June 12 last year. He entered the house and, during an argument, fired the weapon. The gunshot went through a window before smashing a window in the house opposite.

Hennigan, 35, fled the house, prompting a large armed police response. Officers found him in Little Smeaton, near Selby, North Yorkshire, where he was later arrested.

Detectives investigating the case found that the gun had been sourced from Michael Summers, 34, who had arranged to meet Hennigan in the car park of a pub in Armley shortly before the incident to give him the weapon.

Appearing before Leeds Crown Court, Hennigan was jailed after he pleaded to conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and assault occasioning bodily harm.

In a separate case, Hennigan was also found to have orchestrated a people-trafficking operation from Europe after a campervan bound for Britain was found containing immigrants. The defendant, formerly of East View, Cross Gates, was jailed for 11 years and 10 months, with a three-year extended licence period.

Summers, of Bramhope, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to cause the fear of violence, possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply, production of cannabis and possession of criminal property.

Approximately £41,000 worth of cocaine and £9,000 of cannabis were recovered from his address, along with a large amount of cash and ammunition. He was sentenced to nine years and nine months.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Lee Townley, of West Yorkshire Police’s Firearms Prevent and Investigations Team, said: "We treat the criminal use of firearms extremely seriously and are determined to remove guns and the people who use them off our streets.”

I’m pleased that our investigations resulted in these two people being put behind bars for a significant period of time. The incident caused understandable concern in the community and could easily have resulted in tragedy.”

Hennigan masterminded trafficking operation

Hennigan was the mastermind behind the plan after a mother and daughter, who were driving the motorhome, were stopped by Border Force officials in France in 2020 and five Albanian nationals found hiding in the vehicle’s locked storage area.

Prosecutor Stephen Grattage said the six-berth campervan was stopped at the UK controls in Coquelles, France, in December 2020. The mother and daughter said they had been working in Europe and were trying to return via the Channel Tunnel.

The pair had previously been stopped in their vehicle in Rotterdam days before and quizzed after sailing from Hull on the ferry. Mr Grattage said a “large investigative task” was undertaken and they had told officials in Rotterdam an alternative story, that they were nursing assistants. It was also found that their documents were forged.

But delving deeper in to the case, it was discovered that Hennigan was “clearly the organiser of the conspiracy”, Mr Grattage added.

He said Hennigan had recruited the mother and daughter and “controlled them in every step of the enterprise”. He instructed them to rent the campervan, told them what they required, paid for their needs and directed them where to go when in Europe.

In a letter he penned to the judge, Hennigan attempted to claim he was trying to help people from Albania, a claim that was rubbished by Judge Mairs who said he was in no doubt that it was for money.

The mother and daughter who drove the campervan are to be sentenced at a later date while a fourth person is expected to appear in court next week.