Birmingham pub doorman said 'don't do it' before being shot in gang Snapchat plot to steal Rolex

A doorman was shot at a Birmingham pub after a gang's plot to rob a man's Rolex went wrong. Andrew James, aged 42, orchestrated the plan to steal a stranger's watch at the Castle & Falcon in Balsall Heath.

He was then in Snapchat conversation with accomplice Abdoulie Anderson, 21, who in-turn recruited 'henchmen' Daneton Bailey-Warren, 21 and Enrico Hendricks, 25. The three latter men turned up at the pub in the early hours of the morning with Anderson pointing a gun to the chest of the victim, who had served in the Armed Forces.

He brandished the firearm at a doorman who said 'don't do it', but he fired three times and shot him in the leg, with a bullet passing in and out of his ankle. On Tuesday, October 22 the four men were jailed at Birmingham Crown Court for more than 20 years in total.

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They had been at Club PST in Digbeth in the early hours of February 11 last year before James left and ended up at the Castle & Falcon on Moseley Road. Prosecutor Francesca Perera told the court a man in the pub 'realised Mr James was paying particular attention to his Rolex watch'.

She added: "Mr Anderson knew through Mr James there was a plan to steal a Rolex watch from a stranger at the Castle & Falcon pub. It was by Snapchat communication between Mr Anderson and a friend of his."

Anderson, Bailey-Warren and Hendricks got into a stolen car on cloned plates and travelled from the Twelfth Man venue in Edgbaston to the Castle & Falcon, where they waited outside with their 'hoods pulled up and faces covered'. Ms Perera said that while James 'set up' the robbery attempt it was the other three who carried it out as they 'emerged from the shadows' to confront the target male as he left the pub. She told the court Anderson 'pushed a gun into his chest' while he was being detained by Bailey-Warren and Hendricks with the entire incident lasting around 90 seconds.

'Cocked and ready to fire'

Ms Perera said the incident escalated after a number of other people tried to intervene. One of the defendants was heard to shout at others to get back. She continued: "Mr Anderson pulled out a handgun from under his top. He cocked the gun ready to fire it.

"(The doorman) who saw it told Mr Anderson 'don't do it'. Mr Anderson replied: 'Do you want it?' At least three shots were fired indiscriminately into an area where the staff were."

One of the bullets struck the doorman in the right ankle and passed through. Anderson, Bailey-Warren and Hendricks fled in their stolen car. James was stopped in a Nissan Juke which had also been spotted fleeing the area. Inside the car was a pistol as well as black gloves, a face covering and cannabis.

The other three men were arrested later in the month. Bailey-Warren was caught catching a Megabus from Preston to Birmingham while Hendricks and Anderson were arrested from the same car.

In a victim impact statement the robbery victim said he had served his country all around the world in the Armed Forces but had never had a gun pointed at his chest before. He admitted he could not leave his home from several months after the attack, and has now been left suffering Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic attacks and anxiety.

The doorman said he was not the same person he was before the shooting. He said he had worked in the trade for 39 years and 'loved' his job but decided to quit after being attacked at the same pub two months later.

Doorman forced to quit job after 39 years

James, of Granville Square in Birmingham city centre, was sentenced to six years and six months after admitting attempted robbery, as well as possession of a prohibited firearm and cannabis. He has previously served a lengthy jail-term for robbery and firearms offences. Akaal Sidhu, defending, said his client had been 'doing well' designing and selling his own clothes prior to the robbery.

Bailey-Warren, of Springbank Road, Edgbaston, was also sentenced for a separate incident on November 29, 2022 when he was caught with cannabis and a knife. He received four years having pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, obstructing a police constable as well as possession of a bladed article and a class B drug.

Nick Wrack, defending, told the court Bailey-Warren had obtained an electrical engineering qualification at James Watt College and said: "He has the capacity to put his head down and do good things.

"While in custody he has earned the status of being an enhanced prisoner, meaning he has gone for a long period of time without any issues. He is a trusted prisoner and a wing cleaner."

'Mixing with the wrong crowd'

Hendricks, of Prince of Wales Lane, Kings Heath, was jailed for three years and 11 months after admitting attempted robbery. Lachlan Stewart, defending, said his client had a difficult upbringing having lost his parents, was 'mixing with the wrong crowd' and was out of work.

He added Hendricks, who has several children, 'has some growing up to do' but had aspirations of working as a barber upon release. Anderson, of Bell Barn Road, Edgbaston, was sentenced to six years, six months after pleading guilty to attempted robbery, inflicting grievous bodily harm and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

The court was told about his 'difficult life' including being 'sent to Gambia' at one point, having to reintegrate into several schools and losing his mother in recent years. Ghulam Ahmed, defending, stated the 'greatest change' in Anderson's life had been the birth of his child while in custody.

Judge Kerry Maylin concluded that James 'orchestrated' the robbery plot with Anderson, who recruited Hendricks and Bailey-Warren as 'henchman'. She stated the incident would have 'felt like a life-time' to the victim despite it being a relatively short-lived ordeal. The judge added the three younger defendants 'had prospects of making a better start' after their time in prison.