A career criminal who shot a drug dealer has been jailed for 12 years.

Philip Nriapia, also known as Tank, fired a shotgun at Atif Latif - his daughter’s boyfriend’s uncle - at “relatively close range” last year and he still has at least 30 pellets in his body - including in his heart.

A jury of six men and six women took nearly nine hours last week to find Nriapia guilty of wounding Atif Latif and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

They found him not guilty of three counts of attempted murder, three counts of wounding with intent and two counts of wounding.

The 43-year-old had also been accused of trying to kill 16-year-old Hatib Latif - the boyfriend of Nriapia's 14-year-old daughter, Tyler - as well as Hatib's uncle, Adeel Latif.

Philip Nriapia, also known as Tank, jailed for 12 years

A judge described it as “entirely fortuitous” that neither of those two males were injured in the drive-by shooting which took place outside the Pilgrim Shop on the busy Ravenshouse Road in Dewsbury on August 29.

Leeds Crown Court heard that Nriapia drove past the trio in his silver Toyota Corolla and fired a single shot after speaking to Atif about the teens’ relationship, threatening the males and arranging to meet them.

During the trial the Examiner challenged a reporting restriction that would ban the identification of the teenage complainant and Mr Justice King, the presiding High Court judge, allowed him to be named.

Reading a victim impact statement, Christopher Rose, prosecuting, said that the shooting has knocked 25-year-old Atif’s confidence and the pellets stuck in his body have to be reviewed and may even burst.

Atif, of Centenary Way, Batley, has been jailed for possessing class A drugs with intent.

Drug dealer Atif Latif

The court heard that Nriapia, of Ravens Avenue in Dewsbury, is also a drug dealer.

He has 24 previous convictions, dating between 1997-2017, including for robbery and aggravated burglary.

Mark McKone, mitigating, said he disapproved of the teenagers’ relationship because Hatib was treating Tyler “inappropriately”.

Jailing Nriapia, Mr Justice King told him: “You came into possession of the shotgun, I have no doubt, through your drug dealing enterprises.”

As he was sent down, Nriapia turned to his daughter in the public gallery and told her: “Send my love to your mum”.

She ran crying from the courtroom.