A man, who fired seven shots at a 57-year-old from the boot of a car, has been jailed for 20 years for attempted murder.

Stanislavs Leonovs, 27, of Luton Road, Chatham, Kent, shot his victim from the boot of a Volkswagen Passat in Green Lane, Goodmayes shortly before 5.50am on July 1, 2015, leaving him critically injured.

Fortunately, the man recovered from his gunshot injuries.

Leonovs was found guilty of attempted murder and possession of a firearm at the Old Bailey on Friday following a two week trial.

He was sentenced to 20 years for attempted murder and seven years for possession offence, to run concurrently, on Monday.

Officers in the case were unable to discover the motive of the shooting, the jury heard, but they traced £5,000 being transferred to Leonovs shortly after the attack.

The purchase of the car used in the shooting was also linked to Leonovs, who had made a number of early morning trips in it to the victim’s home.

A Winchester rifle was found in a garden close to the scene and CCTV evidence showed a person matching Leonovs’ description getting rid off the weapon.

Leonovs was traced by officers to a car park in Chatham but he managed to escape. The VW Passat was also found in the car park and his DNA was recovered inside the vehicle.

It was later revealed that he fled to France before returning to the country months later.

He was arrested in Gillingham, Kent, in December last year, when he was charged.

Det Con Peter Harvey said: “I am pleased with the sentenced handed out to Leonovs. He is a dangerous man who has shown no remorse for his actions.

“It is incredibly fortunate that the victim lived. The investigation has shown that he was willing to take money and attempt to kill someone – the sentence reflects just how serious a crime this was.

“Our investigation remains ongoing to find out who conspired with Leonovs and who paid him to carry out this shooting.”

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact police on 020 7230 9795 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.