A gunman who executed a dad in the street, a woman who stabbed her boyfriend to death after a night in the pub and a street racer who ran over a 14-year-old girl were among the killers were brought to justice this year.
The case of Ava White's murderer was among the most high profile heard by Liverpool Crown Court this year after the youngster was tragically stabbed to death in the city centre. Another killer shockingly strangled his girlfriend to death and stabbed her body before scrawling abuse over her skin with a felt tip pen.
These are 22 people from Merseyside who were convicted of murder, manslaughter and causing death by dangerous or careless driving during 2022:
READ MORE: Gang of men armed with hammers and baseball bat attack car
Michael McLoughlin
Michael McLoughlin killed aspiring firefighter Duncan Browne in an unprovoked attack over a taxi.
He delivered a fatal "catastrophic injury punch" to the 23-year-old at a taxi rank in Hanover Street in Liverpool city centre. McLoughlin's friend - convicted heroin dealer Terrence Kerwin - first hit the victim, as they tried to get into a black cab ahead of him.
But after McLoughlin knocked out Mr Browne in the early hours of Sunday, July 4, 2021, the "cowards" got in the taxi and went to a party. Mr Browne, from Kirkby, died in hospital next day, surrounded by his family.
McLoughlin, 36, of Torus Road, Old Swan, and Kerwin, 31, of no fixed address, both denied murder and were set to stand trial on January 4. But the Crown Prosecution Service accepted McLoughlin's plea to manslaughter and Kerwin's plea to assault causing actual bodily harm, to the dismay and anger of Duncan's grieving family, who slammed the decision.
McLoughlin - a convicted armed robber - was jailed for nine years and four months, of which he must serve two thirds behind bars. Kerwin was handed 10 months in jail, but had already spent nearly six months in custody, meaning he was immediately released.
Thomas Broadhurst
Thomas Broadhurst killed his friend of 20 years Thomas Edmunds after targeting him in a brutal gang robbery.
Broadhurst put Mr Edmunds in a fatal chokehold as Terence Bennett, Kevin Nethercote and Kevin Condliffe helped rob the victim's cash. The drunken gang were caught on recordings talking about their plan to violently attack Mr Edmunds, and even celebrated after they left him for dead.
The men struck at the house the 36-year-old victim shared with his father Alan Edmunds, in Clorain Road, Kirkby, at around 10pm on May 9 last year. Bennett waited outside in the car while Broadhurst, Nethercote and Condliffe knocked on the front door, before they were let in by Mr Edmunds senior.
Broadhurst and Condliffe attacked the victim, with Broadhurst putting him in a "chicken hold", and Condliffe stealing cash he had saved from his job as a labourer. The group then fled in a car, blowing the money on alcohol and drugs, before the victim died in hospital the following day, after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Broadhurst, 32, of Regal Road, Croxteth, was jailed for 10 years and eight months after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to rob. Bennett, 34, of Sovereign Hey; Nethercote, 48, of Regal Road; and Condliffe, 17, of Carr Lane East; all in Croxteth, were locked up for eight years, nine years and four months, and five years respectively, after they all admitted conspiracy to rob.
Thomas Brown
Thomas Brown, who vowed "to make St Helens proud" before stabbing a man in the neck, was found guilty of murder.
The drug addict turned his bedroom into a bloodbath when he knifed 33-year-old Lee Andrew in his right jugular vein. Andrew fled as he ran across the road to a YMCA reception in a forlorn bid to get help, at around 11pm, on August 2 last year.
Career criminal Brown was seen to "nonchalantly" walk away - his hands covered in blood - as his victim was dying in the street. After he was arrested on August 3, the 42-year-old, of North Road, told police: "The beast got dealt with and it was self-defence."
He suggested Andrew was bullying him and "came at him" with a knife, so he grabbed a second knife to defend himself. Brown even claimed "more should have been done" for Andrew and questioned why YMCA staff on night duty didn't provide first aid.
But a jury took just two hours of deliberation to unanimously find him guilty of murder, after a six-day trial. Brown was jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years.
Neil Badrock
Neil Badrock murdered his own dad in a "ferocious, brutal and totally unforgiving" street attack.
Badrock, 28, admitted manslaughter over the five-minute street attack on 51-year-old Neil Farrington. Witnesses described him "volleying" his dad and shouting "I will f***ing kill you" as he repeatedly kicked him in Kirkby Row in Kirkby.
The attack only ended when police arrived and found Badrock still kicking his dad in the head, while shouting: "What do you think about that?"
Badrock accepted headbutting Mr Farrington to the ground, then punching and kicking him, because he was "angry", but said he never intended to kill or seriously harm his victim, on May 17 last year. But a jury unanimously found him guilty of murder after six hours and 20 minutes of deliberation, following a four-day trial.
Badrock, of Kenbury Close, Kirkby, was jailed for life with a minimum of 19 years.
Shaun Rimmer
Hit and run driver Shaun Rimmer killed a dad-of-three then drove away with a bloodstained and shattered windscreen.
The 28-year-old was driving a stolen Seat Leon through Aberdeen at high speeds while being chased by police. As he fled at around 50mph in a 30mph zone, Rimmer, from Liverpool, hit Simon Musabayana, 48, as he crossed a road.
Rimmer sped off then abandoned the Seat Leon, which was stolen from a home in Cheshire, 12 days before the crash. Mental health nurse Mr Musabayana, who suffered catastrophic injuries on August 16, 2021, died in hospital 26 days later.
Career criminal Rimmer went on the run and was later arrested in Liverpool. He admitted causing death by dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Rimmer was jailed for eight years. Earlier this month, he was handed a further eight years and nine months for his part in a string of burglaries - whose targets included then Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Connor Dockerty's killer
A teenage boy who stabbed a dad-of-two in the heart was locked up, along with a man who tried to help him get away with murder.
Connor Dockerty was repeatedly knifed in the chest by a then 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in a Huyton street. Mr Dockerty, 23, staggered into a nearby garden, bleeding from four stab wounds, and with his last words said: "I'm dying - tell my kids I love them".
The teen, who was riding a red mountain bike, attacked Mr Dockerty in Kingsway, near the Oak Tree Pub, at around 8pm on Monday, April 19, last year. The victim had earlier been involved in a minor altercation in Liverpool Road, which led to the boy going to confront him.
The teenager, now aged 15 and from Huyton, claimed he acted in self-defence and Mr Dockerty had a blade, but the victim was in fact unarmed. He was found guilty of murder after a six-week trial and was handed a life sentence, with a minimum of 14 years behind bars.
John Batey, 44, of no fixed address, but from Huyton, was found guilty of assisting an offender. That was for disposing of the killer's "distinctive" red Trek bike - "critical evidence" in the wake of the killing.
He was jailed for three years.
Nigel Diakite
'Monster' dad Nigel Diakite murdered a young mum next to their sleeping baby.
Diakite launched a brutal attack on N'Taya Elliott-Cleverley on the day she was moving out because of his domestic violence. He strangled her to death with a skipping rope in bed, while their four-month-old daughter was in a cot next to them.
The 19-year-old claimed he couldn't remember carrying out the killing at their Wavertree home - despite confessing to it afterwards. Diakite, aka Mohammed Diakite, blamed mental health problems and even accused his 20-year-old victim of assaulting him.
But he was found guilty of murdering his partner at their Prince Alfred Road flat, in the early hours of Friday, January 29, 2021. Diakite, who was accused by the victim's family of crying crocodile tears in court, was jailed for life with a minimum of 19 years.
Mohammad Azizi
Mohammad Azizi murdered his wife after he discovered her affair with a family friend.
Malak aka Katy Adabzadeh, 47, was battered to death by Azizi at their Stoneycroft home. Azizi used an unidentified weapon to inflict 11 head injuries, as the mum-of-one desperately tried to defend herself.
He trashed their apartment at The Green to make it look like it had been ransacked by an mystery attacker. He later returned with his son and let him find his mum "in a pool of blood" face down in the bath, on November 25 last year.
Iranian national Azizi had found out his wife was seeing married man Tooraj Khorshidi, who would visit to give her botox and lip fillers. That day she had planned to meet Mr Khorshidi at Edge Lane retail park then spend the night with him at a city centre hotel and her packed bag was found in her car.
Questioned about the affair, Azizi later told police: "Culturally in the past it was unacceptable this matter and you could be stoned to death." Azizi admitted murder.
He was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years.
Joshua Morgan
Dad-of-four Paul Morgan was stabbed to death in front of his children by his nephew Joshua Morgan.
Joshua Morgan knifed his 39-year-old victim two times after his family had come over to celebrate his 21st birthday in Dingle. He rejected a hug from his uncle before following him across Prince William Street and launching the attack on September 19, 2020.
Joshua Morgan harboured resentment and jealousy towards the victim's children, as his own father died when he was just nine. His father had killed himself and the anniversary of his death had been just the day before the murder.
Joshua Morgan, who previously threatened to kill his uncle, has since been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and cannabis dependency disorder. However, a psychiatrist found that the attack was unrelated to his illness and Joshua Morgan, 22, of Prince William Street, Dingle, admitted murder.
He was jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years.
David Lavender
David Lavender murdered his dad just days before his 80th birthday in an unprovoked attack.
He drank heavily before battering his father with a glass kettle last December and fleeing their Old Swan home. A judge said 79-year-old Anthony Lavender's death at the hands of his son was "a tragedy beyond words".
Lavender, 37, had been living at his dad's Woodhall Street home since returning from London during the covid pandemic. He had been drinking heavily on the evening of December 29 before he picked up a glass kettle and hit his father multiple times across the head, causing injuries to his eyebrow and cheek.
The victim called 999 to report the attack, but when officers arrived he was unconscious on the stairs. His son had fled the house, speeding away in his black Audi before he crashed it on the Queens Drive flyover a short time later and was taken to Aintree Hospital.
Lavender, who said he didn't know why he killed his dad, admitted murder and was jailed for life with a minimum of 14 years.
Andrew Tinton
Andrew Tinton "heard voices telling him to kill" before he beat his elderly mum to death then jumped in front of a train.
He leapt from a railway bridge near Kirkdale station hours after killing his mum by beating her with a lump hammer at least 30 times. It was only when police went to inform Rose Marie Tinton of her son's attempt on his own life that they found the 82-year-old dead in her home in Folkestone Road, Southport.
Tinton, 55, had lived with paranoid schizophrenia since at least 2007. He had largely managed to cope with it, but his mental health deteriorated significantly throughout 2020.
Tinton appeared to be taking his medication and was in regular contact with mental health workers, but the lockdown caused upheaval in the way he was treated. Groups and appointments he would normally attend in person were done remotely and lockdown restrictions impacted on his mental state.
This worsensed even further when his dad, who a judge described as "the key" in his life, died from cancer that August. On January 29, 2021 he killed his mum.
Tinton said voices told him to kill his mum and then kill himself and it was right the two of them die together. He was charged with murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
He was given a hospital order meaning he will be detained until psychiatrists and the Ministry of Justice assess he does not pose a risk to the public.
Kenneth Cherry
A bus driver who ran over and killed a beloved nan walked free from court.
Audrey Williams suffered "catastrophic injuries" after being struck by a double decker bus in St Helens town centre in November 2020. Arriva driver Kenneth Cherry, 73, failed to check a blind spot before setting off from a pedestrian crossing and fatally knocked down the 63-year-old victim.
the long-serving worker was driving the 10A service between Liverpool and St Helens shortly before 11am on November 19 2020. Approaching the bus depot on Bickerstaffe Street, Cherry - of Colburne Close in Burscough - stopped at a red light, slightly over the white line.
Ms Williams, who was walking to the bank at the time, entered the crossing from the left as the light turned from red to amber. The Highway Code states that a motorist cannot pass a junction until the lights return to green.
But Cherry failed to look in this direction and began to drive off. He knocked Ms Williams over and ran over her lower legs, leaving the pedestrian "screaming out in pain".
She lost consciousness at the scene, with extensive CPR attempts performed by paramedics. The nan was rushed to Whiston Hospital, but was pronounced dead shortly afterwards as a result of "severe pelvic and leg injuries".
Cherry stopped after the collision and admitted to police that he had not checked the blind spot to his left before driving. He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving during an earlier hearing.
He was spared an immediate jail term and was instead handed a 20-week imprisonment suspended for 18 months at Liverpool Magstrates' Court in June.
Boy A
The boy who murdered schoolgirl Ava White was locked up for life with a minimum of 13 years.
Boy A, from South Liverpool, who was convicted of murder in May, cannot be named for legal reasons. He stabbed the Year 8 Notre Dame Catholic College pupil with a flick knife after an argument about him filming her on Snapchat. Prosecutors alleged the teen laughed and ran away.
They said he ditched his knife, designer coat and mobile phone in a "cover up", then took selfies, got butter for crumpets and played Call of Duty. Boy A gave a false alibi to police and blamed another boy for killing Ava, before changing his story and claiming he acted in self-defence.
The teen said he "didn't mean to" stab the schoolgirl and was "trying to get her away from me". He said he thought she was a boy, who might be armed, and feared she would "batter" him.
A jury found him guilty of murder after two hours and eight minutes of deliberation and a 12-day trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Justice Amanda Yip told him: "Unlike Ava you will still have a chance to grow up, but your life has been changed forever. You will only be released if you can show you are no longer a danger.
"Because of your age, you may be released while you are still a young man. I know that will seem unfair to Ava’s family when they have lost the chance to see her grow up.
"I accept that you did not go out that evening intending to kill, or even to hurt, anyone. You did not know Ava.
"You came across each other by chance. It is a tragedy that the events leading to Ava’s death started with something so small.
"There was a bit of what looked like pushing and shoving between you, and that is exactly where it should have ended. You could have run away and escaped, just as you did after you stabbed Ava."
Rueben Murphy
A killer launched a rant at a judge as he was jailed for life over the street execution of a young dad.
Rueben Murphy, 26, called the High Court judge a "fat paedophile" and screamed "f*** the system" as he was led to the cells at Liverpool Crown Court. Murphy, formerly of Barkbeth Road in Huyton, was convicted of murder after pumping two 9mm bullets into the chest of 26-year-old Patrick Boyle on July 1, 2021.
Mr Boyle, living in Kirkdale at the time, was the dad of a three-year-old boy and was expecting a second child with his pregnant partner, hospital ward manager Ashleigh Deans, at the time he was killed. He was standing outside an address in Newway, off Lordens Road in Huyton, at around 5.55pm when Murphy approached on an electric bike and opened fire.
Two rounds hit him on the left side of his chest and he was pronounced dead at Whiston Hospital less than 30 minutes later. Murphy denied he was in the street at the time, claiming he was "off me head" on ketamine and cannabis in a garden in another area of Huyton.
But he was faced with overwhelming evidence, including a pair of black gloves, bearing traces of gunshot residue and his DNA profile, found on top of a kitchen cupboard in his home. CCTV evidence also put him in the area of the killing at the time.
Murphy was convicted of murder after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court alongside his close friend Ben Doyle, now 25, who rode the electric bike, carrying Murphy on the back, to within minutes of the murder scene. Another friend, 21-year-old Thomas Walker, was cleared of murder but admitted handling one of the bullets used to kill Mr Boyle on a date prior to the day of the shooting.
Murphy will serve life in prison with a minimum of 31 years.
Doyle, of Lyme Grove in Huyton, was jailed for life with a 27-year minimum term while Walker, of no fixed address but from Clubmoor, was handed two years behind bars.
Karl Townsend
A killer who stabbed a burglar to death was jailed for 19 years.
Jordan Brophy was attacked with such ferocity that two shards of a broken blade were left lodged in his skull. He died aged 31 as a result of his injuries following the incident in Halewood in October last year.
Karl Townsend was cleared of his murder by a jury of six men and six women. However, he was convicted of manslaughter by a majority of 10 to two.
Judge Andrew Menary handed him 19 years, describing the attack as a "deliberate and armed response to an attempt to steal his drugs". Townsend must serve two thirds of this term before he is released on licence.
Sentencing, the Honourary Recorder of Liverpool said: "On that night, soon after you had left and while your partner and child were out of the house, the deceased Jordan Brophy and three other accomplices broke into your house. This was plainly a targeted attack - a smash and grab where the burglars were not concerned about making a noise and plainly did not expect to be in the house for very long.
"I have no doubt that they were after your stash of controlled drugs, because I have no doubt that at that time your principal source of income was dealing in class A and B drugs. No other explanation makes any sense.
"What that means is this was not a home invasion with a terrified and unsuspecting householder. As soon as you saw these men on the camera, you knew exactly what they were after.
"What resulted is the sort of violent encounter which so often accompanies this type of criminal activity. You were provoked by Jordan Brophy's actions, but your response was not in any way justified.
"The level of unlawful violence used by you was shocking. The notion that you were at any stage acting in reasonable self-defence is frankly absurd.
"Jordan Brophy was no angel. But whatever he was doing on the night, he did not deserve to die as he did.
"He was a loved and cherished son, brother, partner and uncle. Their lives have been damaged irreparably."
Brandon Turton
The street racer was speeding at up to 93mph in a 30mph zone when he struck and killed a 14-year-old girl.
Courtney Ellis' teenage sister witnessed her sibling's horrific death, while the youngster's mum unknowingly encountered the scene of the crash as she drove home from work. Driver Brandon Turton today cried as he was jailed for causing the fatal collision, having been racing at high speeds around residential streets in convoy with another car at the time.
The schoolgirl, from Haydock, died instantly after being hit by the 21-year-old's Renault Megane on Blackbrook Road in St Helens shortly after 9.45pm on September 19, 2020. He had been "showing off or driving in anger", having made unsuccessful attempts to woo a female passenger.
Turton was handed six years and nine months in prison after admitting causing death by dangerous driving and dabbed his eyes with a tissue as he was led down to the cells. Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: "Courtney was a loving child with enormous compassion and promise, who leaves behind a shattered and traumatised family."
Adam Fletcher
A murderer who stabbed a dad-of-two through the heart was jailed for life with a minimum of 22 years.
Adam Fletcher killed 30-year-old Paul Stenson on Princess Drive, West Derby, less than a week before Christmas last year after the pair had an argument at a house party. Fletcher, 28, had denied murder but was found guilty by a jury after a six-week trial earlier this year.
Fletcher murdered Stenson after a disagreement at a house party was escalated by Fletcher.
Jurors heard Mr Stenson’s murder occurred minutes after the fight broke out between him and Fletcher. Mr Pratt said the atmosphere at the party Fletcher and Mr Stenson were attending was good until a disagreement between them over whether Fletcher had been trying to flirt with Mr Stenson’s partner, Samantha Rosser.
The court heard Mr Stenson punched Fletcher and then the two started to scuffle before agreeing to go outside to finish the fight. Mr Pratt said there was no indication to Mr Stenson or anyone else that the fight would involve knives but that Fletcher decided to run and grab a kitchen knife from inside the house before stabbing Mr Stenson with it.
Emma Walsh
The killer, who fatally stabbed her boyfriend in the heart after a night in the pub, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years.
Emma Walsh knifed Gary Morgan to death on the evening of April 10 this year. They had earlier visited the Belmont pub to watch Liverpool FC's 2-2 draw with Manchester City on the television before staying for karaoke night.
The couple returned to their bungalow on Lavan Close in Everton at around 10pm, where she killed the tradesman in a "drink-fuelled, explosive rage". Their year-long relationship had been marred by Walsh subjecting him to domestic abuse.
The 31-year-old was unanimously convicted of murder by a jury after only one hour and 37 minutes of deliberations.
Mark Wheeler
The murderer battered his wife to death with a lamp after racking up huge debts.
Mark Wheeler kept his money troubles secret from his partner Karen, then brutally killed her and attempted to take his own life at their flat in Birkenhead when threatened with bailiffs. The "much-loved mother" was also repeatedly stabbed during a prolonged assault, which began as she slept on a sofa and saw her subjected to dozens of blows at his hands.
The 62-year-old victim returned home from a night shift - having been employed as a carer for assisted living residents by a housing association - on the morning of May 11 and dozed off on a settee in the living room before her spouse began his attack. Her son discovered her lifeless body the following day.
Wheeler, 52, admitted murder. He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years and 10 months.
Robert Massey
The murderer strangled his girlfriend to death and stabbed her dead body before scrawling abuse over her skin with a felt tip pen.
Robert Massey also dressed his deceased partner in designer gear before leaving her lying dead in her flat as he plotted to kill two men with whom he believed she had been unfaithful. The 43-year-old knifed one of them with the same weapon he had used to kill Jacqueline Forest after luring him to the apartment before taking a taxi to his former friend's workplace and attacking him with a pair of scissors.
He had walked free from court two weeks earlier for assaulting the same victim, pouring vodka over her and threatening to set it on fire. Then, after scrolling through her phone and finding suspicious texts, Massey flew into rage - battering and throttling her until she was dead, then knifing her in the womb after finding a pregnancy test.
The killer remained at large for another 24 hours - during which time he went drinking using her debit card, lured one of the men to Ms Forest's apartment and tried to cut his ears off then travelled to the other's workplace and chased him down the street with the scissors. Massey admitted murder and two counts of attempted murder and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years.
Jason McGuire
A man who killed a dog walker was driving almost double the speed limit.
Alan Williams, 74, and his pet dog Sam both suffered “multiple and catastrophic injuries” when they were hit by 33-year-old Jason McGuire's BMW. The crash occurred at 5.45pm on on November 23 2020 on Childwall Valley Road
The driver was travelling at 58mph at the point of collision, despite the 30mph speed limit. Mr Williams' son then received an alert via his Apple watch telling him his father had a “hard fall” and rushed to the scene, discovering what had happened.
McGuire pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He was sentenced to five years and six months in prison
Jordan Short
A drug dealer took part in an horrific gang attack to steal a Rolex watch from a dad .
Jordan Short, of Rushey Hey Road, Kirkby, was 19 when he took part in the killing of joiner Steven McMyler, a 34-year-old father of two young children, in the grounds of Wigan Parish Church on August 6, 2020. Now 21, Short was jailed for 13 years for his part in the crime.
Moments after he was sentenced, a member of the McMyler family left the public gallery from which there was no view of the dock to go into the courtroom to shout 'f***ing rat' at Short. He was ordered to leave the court.
READ NEXT:
Man found dead at shop after police called to incident
Dangerous men every woman in Merseyside needs to know about
Police update on three people arrested over Elle Edwards murder
