A drug dealer who shot himself in the leg and pretended he had fallen off his bike in a bid to evade justice has been jailed.
Romello Nangle called for an ambulance claiming he had been involved in a road accident and had a ‘big hole in my leg’ at around 3.40pm on 21 May 2022.
He cancelled the ambulance a short time later saying he had got a lift to hospital.
Police later received a call from a nurse at the Queen’s Medical Centre saying a man had presented at A&E with shotgun pellets in his leg.
Nangle’s story began to unravel when he claimed he had caught his leg on the exhaust pipe of a motorbike when falling off his bicycle.
He then changed his story again to say he heard a loud bang before coming off the bike.
Detectives were able to unpick his claims and disprove them using CCTV footage and telecommunications data when they analysed his mobile phone.
They were also able to prove his mother, Melanie Nangle, and accomplice, Harveer Narwal, had also conspired to cover up what had happened.
Romello Nangle, aged 28, of Hucknall Road, Nottingham, was jailed for a total of four-and-a-half years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday (22 November).
He had earlier pleaded guilty to possession of a loaded shotgun in a public place, conspiring to pervert the course of justice and supplying a Class B drug.
Narwal, aged 29, of Plains Farm Close, Nottingham, was jailed for 13 months after earlier admitting perverting the course of justice.
Melanie Nangle, aged 53, of Bilberry Walk, Nottingham, was given a nine-month sentence suspended for 18 months after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.
When detectives seized Nangle’s phone they discovered a series of Whatsapp messages in which Nangle admitted he had shot himself accidentally, along with messages form Melanie Nangle and Narwal urging him to delete any evidence relating to the discharge.
Officers also extracted deleted messages showing Melanie Nangle had been speaking to her son about how to dispose of the firearm.
Doorbell camera and CCTV footage captured Nangle on the day of the incident with a tube concealed in his trousers and a clear hole in his trouser leg when he later returned home.
Further footage showed he had changed clothes before leaving the address again to attend hospital.
When they searched Nangle’s home, officers found bags of cannabis in one of the bedrooms.
Further messages on Nangle’s mobile phone showed he had been involved in supplying the Class B drug over a period between December 2021 and May last year.
Detective Inspector Daniel Johnstone, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Detectives had to spend many painstaking hours reviewing CCTV footage and unscrambling Whatsapp messages which revealed exactly what had happened.
“Nangle armed himself before leaving home and then revealed in messages he had forgotten the shotgun was loaded and had shot himself in the leg.
“Officers were also able to prove his mother and Harveer Narwal were involved in the conspiracy to evade justice and cover up what had happened. They did not count on our determination and how seriously as a force we take any report of a possible firearm discharge.
“We have always made clear that Nottinghamshire Police will utilise every available resource when seeking to bring firearms offenders to justice, and this case again demonstrates that those who think it is somehow acceptable to carry weapons on our streets will be brought to justice.
“If you have any information about those involved in gun crime, or know where weapons are being stored, please keep contacting us so that we can take positive action.”
