A father has been jailed for four years for threatening and intimidating witnesses during the trial of his son – who himself was imprisoned for 12 years following a shooting in High Wycombe.

A number of witnesses changed their stories during the course of a trial after Iftikar Hussain threatened them, a court heard today.

Hussain, 49, made the threats to people who had been called to give evidence against his son Umar, who had been charged with a number of offences after members of a rival gang were shot at with a shotgun in Lucas Wood, Totteridge, on May 11.

Umar Hussain, 19, was convicted by jurors of two counts of wounding with intent and one each of violent disorder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life in spite of the witnesses changing their stories in the face of the threats being made by his father.

Iftikar Hussain was today jailed for four years by an Amersham Crown Court judge after pleading guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The court heard two witnesses changed their stories when called to give evidence in front of the jury while a third was bribed into giving evidence during the trial that was “completely contradictory” to what he’d told police, Judge John Cole said, after Iftikar Hussain paid him 20,000 Pakistani rupees – around £200.

The court heard the witnesses were threatened into believing a relative would be attacked in jail if they identified Umar Hussain as being the man with the gun during the May 11 incident. After giving evidence, the man was subsequently beaten up in prison – prompting the witnesses to go back to the police.

Graeme Smith, prosecuting, said: “They were encouraged to change evidence and create doubt as to the identity of the shooter.

“[One of the witnesses] had been told his uncle would be attacked in HMP Woodhill if they didn’t change their evidence. He received a telephone call from a withheld number saying they should back out. [Iftikar Hussain said] Your uncle is in prison - you need to back out or your uncle’s going to get dealt with. Make sure he [the witness] doesn’t say anything about the shooting.”

Mr Smith said another witness was told “fireworks will go off” if he gave evidence in court identifying Umar Hussain as having fired the gun.

Mr Smith said Iftikar Hussain called a meeting with family members of some of the people involved in the shooting and told them: “There are a lot of people out there. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you or your family.”

He added: “It’s a serious case that strikes at the heart of the justice system.”

The court heard Hussain has six previous convictions for 19 offences, including for burglary, drug offences and violent disorder, but has a clean record since 1997.

John Lyons, defending, said: “His entire motivation in everything he’s done has been not to enrich himself, or out of selfishness. He’s been seeking to protect his family in the way he felt best.

“He was horribly wrong and he now realises his behaviour was wholly unacceptable. His motivation was as a concerned father.”

Jailing Hussain, Judge Cole said: “This was a thoroughly sustained campaign of intimidation.

“Luckily it didn’t have any effect on the course of justice, but that’s more luck than anything to do with you or your control.

“During that trial it emerged there had been a very serious attempt to derail it. You attempted to intimidate two witnesses who gave evidence in front of the jury.”

As well as being jailed, Hussain was also ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge.