A shooting plot unravelled when a gang member crashed his motorbike as he attempted to make his getaway from the scene of the incident.
Edward Dutton, Anthony Jones, Nathan Kelly and James Quinn travelled together in convoy in a hired Mercedes and on two motorcycles before opening fire with a pistol on the streets of Dingle while children played nearby. They then sped off through residential roads, but were forced into an unexpected "clear up" effort in a desperate bid to avoid detection when one of the bikers smashed into a car and broke his ankle.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Monday, that police received reports of shots being fired on Erin Close 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."
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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.
Dutton and 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 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 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.
Quinn also fell to be sentenced for drug trafficking matters after police raided the 31-year-old's home on Grafton Street in Dingle on August 2 last year and seized £1,000 in cash. Officers also recovered a graft phone which had used by the "Dave Line", a Merseyside-based county lines drugs gang which had been selling heroin and crack cocaine in Northwich, Cheshire.
He has a total of five previous convictions for six offences, including for possession of an offensive weapon. Appearing on his behalf, Lloyd Morgan told the court that Quinn had been a carer to his mum prior to his incarceration and added: "I ask your honour to pass a sentence which does not snuff out any potential of him contributing to society when released."
Dad-of-four Dutton's 20 previous convictions for 37 offences including entries for wounding, affray and production of cannabis. Jonathan Rogers, defending, said: "He regrets his involvement in this offence.
"He understands that your honour must impose a sentence of immediate imprisonment. But I ask that any sentence is limited to a period as short as possible so that he can be released and try to lead a crime-free existence."
Jones has no previous convictions. Arron Payne said of his client: "He has invested time into his development and been focusing on carving out a good career for himself.
"Mr Jones regrets his involvement in this case, and he can only put it down to immaturity. The Anthony Jones who appears to be sentenced today is a very different one to the Anthony Jones that was involved in this offence - there is plainly a lot of good in him."
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 recovered from the balcony of his flat. The father to two young daughters is understood to be appealing this conviction, with his counsel Katy Appleton adding: "There is scope for him to develop maturity and be rehabilitated, to be a father to his children on his release and lead a law-abiding life."
Each defendant - who all appeared via video link to HMP Liverpool, other than Jones who was linked in from HMP Preston - was found guilty of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fire of violence by a jury in November following a trial. 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. 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."
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