THREE men have been jailed for life after being found guilty of the murder of Cole Kershaw in Bury last August.

Cole, aged 18, was shot once in the chest following a pursuit between two vehicles on Chesham Road on the evening of Wednesday, August 12 last year.

Kamran Mohammed, 20, Mohammed Izaarh Khan, 22, and Khayam Ali Khurshid, 29, were all convicted of the teenager’s murder following a trial earlier this year.

Each man was also found guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

A fourth man, Raheem Hall, 19, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and was jailed for four years.

At Manchester Crown Court, a crowd of around 30 people gathered outside to protest the innocence of two of those convicted while inside court, proceedings were interrupted by a man shouting and climbing on a table.

Passing sentence, Judge Mrs Justice Yip, said it had been a “challenging and difficult case for all involved”.

She went on to describe Cole’s death as “senseless”.

She said: “He had a bright future ahead of him. He was enjoying his work as an apprentice scaffolder and he was a talented boxer. He was popular and had many friends. His death has devastated his family and caused shock across the community.

“The life of one young man was taken away and three other young men face spending a very significant amount of their lives in custody.

"The murder was committed against a background of serious violence and an immediate threat from Mr Woods and his associates.

"However, you chose to engage and to meet that threat with violence of the most serious kind.

"To the extent that there was a degree of provocation, it could not begin to justify the deliberate use of a firearm.

"You cannot claim to have been acting in self-defence nor properly to have been acting in fear of violence. You did not seek to stay away from Mr Woods but rather headed towards the threat knowing you had the means to meet it."

The court heard how Cole had become embroiled in a dispute between his friend, Spencer Woods, and Mohammed, after both men had been in a relationship with the same young woman.

A number of violent incidents took place before August 12 when Mohammed armed himself with a gun, and together with Khan and Kurshid, went looking for Mr Woods in a BMW 5 series.

The court heard how the trio drove past a house where a party was taking place in Oram Street in Bury.

Both Cole and Mr Woods were in attendance and after the young boxer spotted the BMW, he joined Mr Woods and another man in a Ford Mondeo which sped off in pursuit.

A car chase followed between the two groups before shots were fired from the BMW causing the car containing Cole and Mr Woods to crash.

Cole was shot as he tried to escape with Mohammed later admitting it was him who pulled the trigger. He was taken to Royal Oldham Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Following the incident, Mohammed and Khan drove to Norden near Rochdale where Mohammed called his friend Hall, of Hardfield Street, Heywood, who took him to buy petrol with which to torch the BMW.

Meanwhile, Khurshid fled the country but was later arrested by Dutch armed police in Amsterdam as he tried to escape to Pakistan.

Michelle Heeley QC, defending Kurshid, said her client was "a young man who has not had a decent start in life".

"He has tried to work and become a useful member of society," she added.

Simon Gurney, defending Mohammed, said he was "a young man with a difficult upbringing" who had armed himself in the hope of "scaring"Mr Woods after he had received numerous threats.

"At an early stage he admitted he fired the fatal shot," said Mr Gurney. "This should not be overlooked. He took responsibility."

"He expressed regret and remorse for causing the death of Mr Kershaw.

"He was ill equipped to face the challenges he faced in the summer of last year.

"We submit that he intended to seriously injure Mr Woods and not to kill him."

Defending Khan, Abdul Iqbal, said: "There was no evidence that he (Khan) had engaged in any previous incidents (with Mr Woods).

Mr Iqbal added that Khan only became involved "on the day" of Cole's death.

"He didn't drive the car or pull the trigger," said Mr Iqbal. "Because of his size he was that sort of individual who was susceptible to being recruited.

"The real mitigation comes from his youth and psychological issues. He is a young man with significant learning difficulties and various cognitive impairments.

"His size and strength made him at risk of being used by others."

Mohammed, of Kingsdale Close, Bury, was sentenced to life in custody with a minimum term of 27 years.

Khurshid, of Eton Hill Road, Bury, was also jailed for at least 27 years.

Khan, of Palace Street, Bury, was ordered to serve 24 years before he is eligible for parole.