‘Slam-bang’ shotgun criminal sees prison term increased to seven years

A recidivist criminal who seriously injured a pedestrian as he fled on a stolen motorbike after firing an improvised “slam-bang” gun at a house has had his five-year prison sentence increased by two years on appeal. The 67-year-old victim was on a pedestrian crossing when he was struck by the high-powered motorcycle, which had been stolen two weeks earlier. He sustained life-changing injuries and spent three months in hospital, 25 days of which were in intensive care. The defendant, Jamie Russell, has 102 previous convictions including numerous road traffic offences.