Man jailed for life over gun murder
A MAN has been jailed for life for murdering the friend of Salford ‘Mr Big’ Paul Massey.
Steven Boyle, 36, of Sandiway, Heywood, was found guilty of murdering John Kinsella after a 26-day trial but cleared of killing Mr Massey himself.
He was jailed for life, with a minimum 33 years behind bars.
His co-accused Mark Fellows, 38, of Warrington - but originally from Salford - was found guilty of both murders at Liverpool Crown Court and was given a whole life term.
Earlier in the trial, Fellows made chilling gestures to Boyle when he ‘grassed’ on him for murdering Mr Kinsella, 53.
On the 14th day of the murder trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Boyle said he was ‘duped’ by Fellows into unwittingly being part of Mr Kinsella’s murder.
He said he thought he was going to collect drugs money, but was passed a rucksack containing a gun.
Furious Fellows later grabbed a pen he had been using to take notes and traced it across his throat while staring at Boyle. He later repeatedly mouthed ‘grass, grass.’
There were tears in the public gallery as Fellows was found guilty of Mr Massey’s murder.
Jurors deliberated for more than 31 hours.
Mr Kinsella, from Liverpool, was shot dead on May 5 last year while walking his dog on a woodland path near the M62 at Rainhill, in Merseyside.
Boyle dropped his head and smiled as the verdicts were read. Both men were found not guilty of the attempted murder of Mr Kinsella’s partner, Wendy Owen, who was with him when he was shot.