US hitwoman jailed for 30 years over bungled plot

A US woman at the centre of a failed assassination attempt in the UK has been jailed for 30 years.

Aimee Betro, from West Allis in Wisconsin, was hired as a killer as part of a plot to attack a British family in Birmingham in 2019, before going on the run for nearly five years.

She approached her victim during the attempt, in September 2019, only for her gun to jam when she pulled the trigger.

She was found guilty of conspiracy to murder, possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to cause fear of violence and illegally importing ammunition after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

During the sentencing hearing on Thursday at the same court, Judge Simon Drew KC said that Betro, 45, played a “leading role” in the attempt, which was carried out alongside Mohammed Aslam and his son Mohammed Nazir.

The two men, from Derby, were jailed for 10 and 32 years respectively for their role in the plot last year.

The judge said the trio had planned the attempted killing after Nazir and Aslam were injured during a fight at Aslat Mahumad’s clothing boutique in July 2018.

On 7 September 2019, Betro had parked up outside the house of Birmingham businessman Mr Mahumad and tried to shoot his son Sikander Ali, but the gun jammed.

“You went beyond simply reaching an agreement to kill and, in reality, you did intend to kill Mr Ali,” he said.

“It is only a matter of chance that Mr Ali wasn’t killed.

“You were engaged in a complex, well-planned conspiracy to murder.

“You were prepared to pull the trigger and did so on two separate occasions.”

The court heard, following the first failed attempt, Betro returned hours later, firing three shots into the upstairs window of the South Yardley home.

During the trial, jurors were told that Betro, a childhood development and graphic design graduate, first arrived in the UK two weeks before the assassination attempt having met Naziz on a dating app.

The pair formed a close online friendship through text messages and video calls before she visited the UK twice in December 2018 and May 2019.

The court heard that Betro again travelled to Birmingham in August 2019, at which point she had fallen in love with Naziz and as a result had agreed to carry out the killing.

On the day of the attack, Betro bought a second-hand Mercedes under the name Becky Booth before scoping out Measham Grove where the target lived.

She then waited in the cul-de-sac for her victim and disguised herself with a niqab, jurors heard.

She approached Mr Ali and attempted to shoot him from behind, but the gun malfunctioned, allowing him to get back into his car and flee.

Betro escaped but later returned to the road in a taxi before shooting three times at the property.

She then travelled to Manchester Airport where she flew back to the US, the court heard.