A thug whose motorbike crash caused a shooting plot to unravel then stashed a loaded revolver in a fish tank on behalf of a 16-year-old gang boss.
Nathan Kelly was a regular customer of baby-faced cannabis dealer Harry O'Brien, the boy behind three terrifying shootings and a firebombing carried out in Dingle. And he agreed to mind a gun on behalf of the teen, despite already being firmly in the sights of the police after being part of a convoy which opened fire with a pistol in the street while children played nearby.
Liverpool Crown Court heard last week that police received reports of shots being fired on Erin Close in Dingle shortly before 8.15pm on July 24, 2019. A nan who dialled 999 stated that she had "heard bangs" while out in her garden with her daughter and grandchildren and that "other people were out in the street", adding: "This just isn't on."
READ MORE: Downfall of fearsome gang boss who lived in luxury and ruled drugs network by fear
Charlotte Kenny, prosecuting, described how officers were then called to reports of a car accident on nearby Miles Street in Toxteth minutes later. Kelly had been the rider of a green Triumph bike which collided with a car being driven by a member of the public near to the Tesco Extra supermarket on Park Road.
Co-conspirators Edward Dutton and James Quinn were present at the scene when police arrived. The former "removed the motorbike from the scene", attempting to restart the engine before stashing it in an alleyway off Park Road.
Quinn meanwhile made off in the hired white Mercedes in which he and 43-year-old Dutton - of Garway in Woolton - had been travelling, leaving a stricken Kelly behind. The injured 29-year-old, of no fixed address, was arrested in the back of an ambulance having suffered an "extremely serious" fracture to his ankle.
Both he and Anthony Jones had been riding motorcycles, one of which was stolen, as part of the team and had embarked upon a "reconnaissance" mission in the area on the afternoon of the same day. After the shots were fired, the four men fled along Park Road before turning onto Melville Street - with the smash occurring at the roundabout linking it to Miles Street.
Gunshot residue was subsequently discovered on Kelly's clothing, while a pair of gloves which were recovered with his blood on them similarly containing traces of gunpowder. Three bullet casings were discovered on Erin Close, having been fired from a self-loading pistol which has never been found.
The prosecution was unable to establish who the gunman had been. Similarly, the police were not able to "specify the purpose" of the shooting - although it had been the "activity of an organised crime group".
Detectives established that the four men had been "consistently in contact with each other" in the period leading up to the incident and met up at a "rendezvous point" in Garston before a period of "radio silence" as the attack was carried out. Their communications then resumed in the aftermath.
Dutton and Quinn - aged 31 and of Grafton Street in Dingle - were said to have "overseen matters on the ground" and spearheaded the "clear up operation" following the smash. And 23-year-old Jones, of Saltergate Road in Dingle, had been responsible for sourcing the motorbikes in the days beforehand.
Kelly's criminal record amounts to 17 convictions for 30 offences, including for burglary and robbery. He is currently serving a seven-year sentence imposed in April last year for possession of a firearm and ammunition.
It came after police raided his then home on Lee Park Avenue, Belle Vale, and found a revolver in a man bag recovered from the balcony of his flat. The court heard on this occasion that Kelly was said to have had a "close" relationship with O'Brien and, for three days in April 2021, agreed to store and answer his "graft" phone.
He was also tasked with looking after a motorbike, helmets and a petrol can for the young gang leader and his "lieutenant", 16-year-old Michael McClean. When police raided the apartment Kelly shared with his girlfriend and child on April 21, they also found a .22 rimfire revolver.
The weapon was loaded with eight bullets and hidden in an empty fish tank on his balcony. Stephen McNally, prosecuting, said the gun was "ready for immediate use".
When police arrived at the address late that night, they searched communal gardens outside the flat. There, hidden under soil and gravel, was a black bin bag containing a New Army 1892 Colt .41 revolver.
As a police helicopter hovered overhead and lit up the area, Kelly made two "panicked" phone calls to O'Brien. Then, shortly after 11.30pm, officers stormed his address where they found the loaded gun, plus 36 Remington .22 cartridges suitable for it and nine other bullets, in the fish tank.
Prosecutors had alleged that he was storing the loaded gun for O'Brien and McClean, but a charge against O'Brien in respect of that gun was dropped for "pragmatic" reasons after he admitted other offences. McClean, of Upper Warwick Street in Toxteth, admitted possessing both guns and the ammunition amongst other charges.
Kelly denied conspiracy to supply cannabis, two counts of possession of a prohibited firearm - relating to the two guns - and possession of ammunition. He was cleared in respect of the gun found in the garden but convicted of the three other charges after a trial.
The father to two young daughters was reported to have bounced up and down on his toes in the dock when jailed for seven years. He gave the middle finger with both hands to police officers sitting across the courtroom as he was locked up.
Kelly was then found guilty of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fire of violence in relation to the Erin Close incident by a jury in November following a trial - as were Dutton, Quinn and Jones. Kelly was also convicted of dangerous driving, while Quinn admitted further counts of being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine and possession of criminal property.
He received a total of nine-and-a-half years behind bars on Monday, February 6. Dutton was jailed for six years, to be served consecutively to his current prison term.
Kelly and Jones were both handed five years. The former was banned from driving for three years, to commence upon his release from custody.
Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: "It had been one of the hottest days of 2019 and there were people, including children, out and about in the area at the time. Those shots really would have caused fear and panic.
"These courts and this city know only too well the dangerous posed by criminals seeing to enforce their lifestyle choices by discharging firearms in a public place. I see no reason to distinguish between roles in this conspiracy."
READ NEXT: Killer said 'that's a big charge' after arrest on suspicion of murder
Barmaid may need plastic surgery after drinker 'exploded' her nose
Binman grins in court after smashing neighbour's conservatory with hammer
Thug says 'it happens' after kicking man in head in chicken shop brawl
Killer admits assaulting woman days before he beat security guard to death
