A MAN has been jailed for six and a half years for shooting through a window of a house in an act suspected of being connected to a family feud.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Rashid Khan, 36, was the man who fired the shot through the front window of a house in Richmond Hill Street, Accrington, where victim Zafoor Alam was sat with two other people.

Khan, of Hamer Avenue, Rawtenstall, pleaded guilty to a single count of using a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and was sentenced by Judge Andrew Woolman this morning.

CCTV footage from Mr Alam's house showed that at 11.50pm on Wednesday June 28 a Nissan Primera pulled up outside the house in Richmond Hill Street. Prosecuting, Keith Sutton said that Khan had bought that vehicle from a man in Blackburn earlier in the night, having responded to an advert on Gumtree.

Mr Sutton said that after circling the house in the Primera, Khan got out of the vehicle and walked to the front of the house, where he produced a shotgun and fired a single shot through the window. He then returned to the vehicle and left the area.

The car was later found abandoned by police close to a business park in Rawtenstall but Khan's fingerprints were found on a registration plate left inside the car.

Khan was arrested by police and officers found a photograph of Mr Alam and other members of his family on the defendant's mobile phone.

The court heard that a text message with a link to the Lancashire Telegraph's coverage of the case the morning after the shooting was also found on the device.

As well as jailing Khan, Judge Woolman also ordered forfeiture of the Primera and told the defendant to pay a £170 victim surcharge.

Speaking after the case, Det Insp Zoe Russo said: “This offence stemmed from a dispute between one of Khan’s associates and the victim in this case.

“Any offence in which a firearm is used causes worry and distress to the local community.

“However these incidents are rare and when they do happen, we will investigate thoroughly and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“Today’s sentence sends out a clear message that the use of firearms will not be tolerated in Lancashire.”