Two Derbyshire men jailed over botched assassination attempt on man who was shot in a leafy village

The victim, aged in his 50s, was blasted twice outside his house by a masked gunman who shouted "Oi geezer" before opening fire. He suffered gunshot wounds to his leg, arm, wrist and hand but survived the attack in Grove Lane, Wishaw, Warks., near the world-famous Belfry Ryder Cup venue.

The victim spent a month in hospital as a result of life-changing injuries while police launched an investigation into the murder attempt on September 5, 2021

Detectives soon uncovered a dispute between the victim and a man named Vito Dimarco, 36, of Swadlincote, Derbyshire. Four months earlier he had been given a suspended sentence and a restraining order for assaulting the same man.

A court heard Dimarco had then hired two hitmen Darren Hattersley, 54, of Nottingham, and Nathan Odley, 42, of Derby, to kill the victim at his quiet village home.

On the morning of the attack, the man was home alone when he noticed a silver VW Phaeton being driven up and down the road and parking near his address.

Shortly after 1.15pm he went outside and was met by a man with a short-barrelled firearm wearing a balaclava who shot him once in the leg.

As the victim dropped to the floor and attempted to move away, the gunman moved towards him and opened fire again - causing injuries to his arm, wrist and hand.

He was able to scramble into his house and raise the alarm by calling the police while the vehicle fled from the scene. Dimarco, Hattersley, and Odley were charged with conspiracy to commit murder in June last year.

Odley's partner Pamiela O’Connor 38, of Chellaston, Derby, was found to have provided a false alibi for her boyfriend and was charged with perverting the course of justice.

All four were found unanimously guilty by a jury following a six week trial at Warwick Crown Court.

Dimarco was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years and 280 days at Warwick Crown Court on Thursday, January 12. Hattersley and Odley were each sentenced to a minimum of 30 years with an extra five years on licence. O’Connor will be sentenced at a later date.

Detective Inspector Collette O’Keefe, of Warwickshire Police, said afterwards: “This was a pre-planned attack orchestrated by Dimarco due to an ongoing dispute with the victim.

“Dimarco recruited Hattersley who in turn recruited Odley. Both Hattersley and Odley were from out of the area, which was deliberate ploy to try and evade capture, and there was an agreement between the three men to kill the victim.

“Dimarco is a bully who uses violence to assert his authority while O’Connor lied to police in an effort to provide a false alibi for Odley.

"Fortunately, the victim survived and was able to provide us with key information that allowed us to identify the getaway car and associated men.

“He has been extremely brave, and both the victim and his family have been patient and fully supportive during the police investigation - I hope this conviction now brings him and his family some peace.

“We would like to reassure the wider community that this was an isolated, targeted attack and we are committed to protecting people from harm by investigating and prosecuting offenders that seek threaten the lives and wellbeing of residents and visitors to Warwickshire.

“Finally, I would like to thank all the police officers and wider team involved in helping to deliver an extremely thorough investigation, which has resulted in these convictions.”