A man has been found guilty of murdering the cousin of world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury with a single blow from a knife during a brawl outside a bar.
Liam O’Pray, 22, used a lock-knife to stab Rico Burton, 31, in the neck, Manchester Crown Court heard.
The knife’s seven-inch blade cut open the major carotid artery in Mr Burton’s neck, causing massive blood loss.
O’Pray, from Swinton, Salford, was found guilty of murder by a jury of seven women and five men after three-and-a-half hours of deliberations following a three-week trial.
Relatives of Mr Burton who packed the public gallery shouted “yes” as the guilty verdict was delivered.
O’Pray in the dock made no reaction.
He was also found guilty of wounding with intent by slashing and stabbing Harvey Reilly, 17 at the time and now 18, during the same incident in the early hours of Sunday morning on August 22 last year.
The trial was told trouble began after a fight between the defendant’s friends and Mr Burton’s family and friends at Goose Green, a courtyard of bars in Altrincham, Cheshire.
Judge Alan Conrad KC said he will pass sentence on August 4, though the defendant faces a mandatory life sentence for murder.
Judge Conrad commended the police officers who dashed to the scene to find the injured men and said they were “instrumental” in saving the life of Mr Reilly.
The families are going to put time and strength and effort into campaigning against knife crime— Harvey Reilly's mother Sarah Reilly
O’Pray already had a conviction for carrying a knife in public before the murder.
Outside court, Sarah Reilly, the teenager’s mother, said: “I just want to say a huge thanks to the police. The families are going to put time and strength and effort into campaigning against knife crime.
“It is every day. It needs to stop. There are laws and legislation that exists that are not being used, it needs to be policed more robustly.”
Earlier the court heard that O’Pray had been in one of the bars earlier that evening but was refused entry, later telling the doorman he would be back and “cause him an issue”.
A second bar next door also refused him entry, with door staff and witnesses describing the defendant as a “loose cannon” and “very erratic”.
O’Pray was also “dumped” outside a bar by a doorman but continued “belligerent and aggressive” behaviour.
He was demanding entry to a bar and pushing people around because he said he had lost his phone and was looking for it.
Mr Burton and Mr Reilly could both be seen on CCTV looking down to the ground, trying to help find the phone before violence flared.
This is yet another example of the fatal consequences of carrying knives. Liam O’Pray had gone out armed with the knife that evening and caused the death of one young man and serious injuries to another— Nicola Carter, Crown Prosecution Service North West
At just gone 3am, a witness said “absolute chaos” broke out as O’Pray’s friend Malachi Hewitt-Brown was punched by Mr Burton’s cousin, Chasiah Burton.
Mr Burton also then aimed a punch at him.
A second later, O’Pray stuck the fatal blow with the knife to the left side of Rico Burton’s neck.
Mr Reilly then went for the defendant, who prosecutor Michael Brady KC said was “indiscriminatingly waving the knife” and was slashed twice by him, once to the arm and once to the abdomen.
O’Pray was then punched and seemingly knocked out, with a doorman going to put him in the recovery position and finding the lock knife.
CCTV footage of the stabbing was shown to the jury.
Members of the public went to aid Mr Burton, who was struggling to breathe and holding his neck before he fell to the floor.
Mr Burton went into cardiac arrest and was declared dead in hospital at 4.35am.
A 2cm cut was found to his neck, which was 6cm deep, almost completely dividing his left carotid artery, causing the fatal massive haemorrhage, a post mortem revealed.
Mr Reilly suffered a 14cm gaping wound to his chest wall, exposing his ribs, and large wound to his left arm.
Nothing can make up for the loss of Rico or the serious injuries to the teenager. I can only hope that knowing O’Pray has been brought to justice will provide some comfort to their family and friends. My thoughts are with them— Nicola Carter, Crown Prosecution Service North West
Cannabis, cocaine and ketamine were found in the defendant’s blood stream, tests later showed and he had three wraps of cocaine on him when arrested shortly after the incident.
Michael Brady KC, prosecuting, told the jury it was “standard” behaviour for O’Pray to go out drinking, causing trouble while armed with a knife.
O’Pray told the jury he was “not a violent person” and carried the knife “to defend myself”.
He had admitted possession of a knife in a public place and possession of cocaine.
Nicola Carter, senior crown prosecutor for Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) North West, said: “This is yet another example of the fatal consequences of carrying knives.
“Liam O’Pray had gone out armed with the knife that evening and caused the death of one young man and serious injuries to another.
“The CPS worked with Greater Manchester Police to build a strong case, piecing together the eyewitness evidence, CCTV footage, forensic evidence confirming the blood of both victims on the knife and medical evidence confirming the injuries, to put before the jury.
“Nothing can make up for the loss of Rico or the serious injuries to the teenager. I can only hope that knowing O’Pray has been brought to justice will provide some comfort to their family and friends. My thoughts are with them.”
