TWO brothers hellbent on revenge stalked a group of young men through the streets of their hometown before pinning one of them down and blasting a shotgun into his face.

Their victim, Hassan Hussain, is ‘lucky to be alive’ following the attack which took place at the hands of thugs Lee and Neil Barnett, who were fuelled by rage from an earlier incident involving a group of men, one of whom was the victim.

Burnley Crown Court heard how heavily convicted Lee Barnett was the one to pull the trigger of a shotgun after his brother Neil was ‘jumped’ by the group after an incident in a Brierfield supermarket back in March.

Prosecuting the case Mr Paul Treble explained a confrontation was sparked when Neil Barnett got into an argument with two men while queuing in Morrisons – an argument which continued outside of the shop and then resulted in the defendant using racially abusive language towards them.

Lancashire Telegraph:

As a result, friends that the men had nearby got involved, kicking and punching Neil Barnett to the floor. The court heard how he was left bruised and with stamp marks to his body and head as a result of the attack.

But rather than calling the police or drawing a line under the incident, Neil Barnett recruited his brother Lee to help him carry-out revenge on the men, Mr Treble told the court. The brothers left the immediate area before returning with an axe and shotgun, stalking the streets for their victims.

They soon tracked them down close to the area where the original incident had taken place, with the group scarpering when they spotted the weapon-wielding brothers. However Mr Hussain was caught by Neil Barnett, who pinned him to the ground while he waited for his brother, who walks with a limp, to catch up.

At that stage Lee shot the gun at point-blank range into the victim’s face.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Hussain said: “He [Neil] came towards me with an axe. I grabbed it and hit him, we both went to the floor.

“As I looked up, I saw his (Lee’s) hands and then the shotgun – it was like cut-up from the front. It wasn’t massive. All I heard – there was a loud bang and then a flash went off. My head hit the ground and I remember thinking ‘shit’. Then I heard the ringing.”

‘Miraculously’ Mr Hussain was able to get to his feet and call an ambulance for himself.

He was initially treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital where he spent several days. Mr Hussain underwent surgery soon after where the bullet and pellets were removed from his head, though he has been left with pieces of shrapnel in his head which were too deep to be removed.

The victim said he can feel them in his mouth – something which is a constant reminder to him of the incident.

Lee Barnett, 37, pleaded guilty to attempted murder at an earlier hearing while his brother Neil, 34, admitted grievous bodily harm.

Mark Stuart, defending Lee Barnett said: “There is no feature of mitigation at all to be made for the offence of attempted murder and I don’t seek to put any forward. The only feature, if there is one, is that it is by mere good luck that the consequences were not more severe than they were in terms of the injury.

“The offences occurred fairly obviously, out of a wholly misplaced and irrational sense of loyalty to his brother. This matter could have been dealt with in a wholly different way. This defendant acted first and thought second.

“He has pleaded guilty to attempted murder which very rarely happens.”

Mr Mohammed Qazi, defending Neil Barnett said that his client was ‘extremely shameful’ for his use of racists slurs which initiated the incident. He said “Clearly he falls to be sentenced for a very serious offence. There can be no doubt that the hallmarks and symptoms that flow from his criminal conduct encompasses elements of revenge, securing of a weapon and reference to further violence.”

Judge Andrew Jefferies QC this morning sentenced Lee Barnett to 28 years behind bars while Neil Barnett will spend seven years and two months locked up, with three years on extended licence.