Two men guilty of killing teen after row over £60

Two men have been convicted of ambushing a teenager and shooting him in the back after a row over £60 got "out of hand".

Nyle Corrigan, 19, suffered "catastrophic" injuries when he was hit by a single shot from a Glock 9mm handgun on Boode Croft in Stockbridge Village, Merseyside, on 12 November 2020.

A jury convicted gunman Martin Wilson, 37, and his friend Connor Smith, 26, of Mr Corrigan's murder and firearms offences after a six-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

A third man, 28-year-old Jamie Coggins, was cleared of murder and possessing a firearm but convicted of assisting an offender, while Anthony Llewelyn, 25, was found not guilty of all charges and walked free.

Smith's parents - Melanie Smith and Mark Sharpe - had also been in the dock charged with assisting an offender - but were both found not guilty.

The prosecution told how Mr Corrigan had fallen out with a friend of Wilson's, called Liam Cohen, when Mr Cohen failed to pay a £60 debt.

The dispute escalated to murder after Mr Corrigan became frustrated and traded insults with Mr Cohen's partner on Facebook, which "incensed" his killers.

Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told the jury: "This was not some random act of street violence.

"It was rather a targeted and planned attack, executed with ruthless efficiency by a team who had staked out the location knowing that their victim was due to be there."

CCTV shown to the jury showed Mr Corrigan's last moments as he rode along a row of terraced houses.

The two masked killers step out and shoot and Mr Corrigan staggers back the way he came for a few yards before collapsing.

His killers then approach him and appear to say something before leaving the scene on Mr Corrigan's bike.

The jury heard the day before the shooting Wilson was among a group of masked men who turned up at Mr Corrigan's family home in Little Moss Hey in Stockbridge Village.

The group told his mother Lesley Kelly that her son, who was out at the time, was "dead" and would be "getting it".

The following day Wilson was recorded on CCTV buying two pairs of black gloves, two black hats and two black face masks from a convenience store in Huyton before getting into Smith's Volkswagen Golf.

The prosecution's case had been that Wilson, of no fixed address, and Smith, of Midway Road in Huyton, were the gunmen but were "supported" by Coggins, of The Spinney in Stockbridge Village, and Mr Llewelyn.

Crown Prosecution Service senior prosecutor James Allison said after the verdicts: "Pride and ego were at stake.

"Wilson and Smith had sourced a semi-automatic pistol and live ammunition, they had knowledge of the area and of their victim, they came prepared with face coverings and gloves.

"They were able to move into position at the right time, in the right place and armed with the means to kill Nyle."

The three men are due to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday.

• Correction 19 December. We amended this article to make clear that Martin Wilson was the gunman, not Connor Smith. We also referred to Jamie Coggins' father by the name of Vincent Coggins, which was incorrect.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to [email protected]