AN innocent man shot in a case of mistaken identity was saved from death by his headrest.

Kamran Aziz, 24, was blasted in the neck by gangster Wesley Blades who mistakenly thought he was the man who broke his expensive Rolex watch during a street fight.

Blades wanted retribution and shot Mr Aziz when he saw him talking to two pals in his car.

Mr Aziz survived because the Russian-made bullet was slowed down dramatically when it first passed through his headrest before lodging in his neck.

In February, 23-year-old Blades was jailed for life and ordered to serve at least 10 years after he admitted attempted murder. But a judge banned publicity because two other defendants faced a possible trial for their roles in the attack.

Yesterday the other men, Aaron Lever, 25, and 19-year-old Amakae Dewar, were also jailed and Judge Anthony Gee lifted the ban on the story.

"The victim would have suffered far more serious injury or even worse if the velocity of the bullet had not been dramatically checked as a result of hitting the headrest before entering his neck," said Judge Gee.

"Happily he survived. Any offence involving a firearm is always properly to be regarded as grave and offenders can expect little mercy from the courts and deterrent sentences must be anticipated and passed."

Judge Gee then jailed Lever, of Heyside Avenue, Royton for seven years and Dewar, of Bainburgh Clough, Oldham, for 18 months.

Lever admitted possessing a gun with intent to cause fear, saying he never knew it was going to be fired. He and Dewar also pleaded guilty to assisting Blades after the shooting.

Peter Cadwallader, prosecuting, said the shooting was the culmination of a street fight when Blades' Rolex watch was damaged by an Asian man wielding a baseball bat.

Blades was so angry he shouted: "You know you just buried yourself. I am going to make sure I shoot you. I am going to look you in the eyes. Twenty minutes, you will see what I am about".

Later Blades, armed with a loaded gun, went back to the scene in a car with Lever and Dewar and came across Mr Aziz, who was in his own vehicle chatting to friends when he was shot

Mr Cadwallader said none of the friends had been involved in the earlier events. "It was a case of mistaken identity in which an entirely innocent member of the public was shot," he said.

Mr Aziz was rushed to hospital for surgery.

He told police he thought he was going to die and was so scared when he arrived at hospital he fainted, said Mr Cadwallader.