The lying mum of Rhys Jones' killer, a major drug dealer who went under the secret name "Masked Swan" and a gang of vigilante killers were among the Merseyside criminals jailed this week.
Also locked up was a granddad caught with £11m of cocaine and heroin hidden in bags for life when his van was pulled over on the motorway. Meanwhile, Liverpool Crown Court heard that a shooting plot fell apart when a conspirator crashed his motorbike during the getaway attempt and was seriously injured.
Here are the faces of 14 criminals from our region who were imprisoned in the past week:
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James Quinn
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.
Each defendant was found guilty of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fire of violence by a jury. 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, while Kelly and Jones were both handed five years.
Arron Waite
A man barged into a neighbour's flat and dragged him off his bed before battering him with a 'kettle'.
Arron Waite dragged his victim from his bed to the floor before repeatedly kicking him, then struck him in the face with a "heavy object" that was believed to be a kettle. The attack knocked the man out, and he awoke covered in blood at 6am the following day after being discovered by his landlord.
The complainant was left permanently scarred as a result. Waite admitted wounding and was jailed for two years.
Shaun Bennett
A convicted rapist embarked on a “campaign of violence” against a girl he sexually assaulted.
Shaun Bennett pulled his teenage victim into an alleyway before forcing her hand down his trousers and attempting to touch her indecently. The 19-year-old smashed her head against a wall before she managed to flee.
He then threatened to "stab her nan in the back" online. Bennett was sentenced to 13 months inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two years for making threats to kill, to be served consecutively.
Georgina Grant
A dealer caught with more than £1,000 of class A drugs in her knickers has been jailed.
Georgina Grant had the stash of heroin and crack cocaine hidden inside her body when police came knocking on the door of co-conspirator Mark Morley, who was caught red-handed dealing in a white van. Another man, Benjamin Williams, attempted to flee the clutches of officers but was then arrested in a shop in possession of a large stash of cash.
Grant, who appeared via video link to HMP Styal, admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine while Williams, who was screened remotely from HMP Buckley Hall, pleaded guilty to these charges and possession of criminal property. They were imprisoned for 2,045 days each, this being the minimum seven-year term for third-strike drug traffickers minus a 20 per cent reduction due to their guilty pleas.
Janette Mercer
The mum of Rhys Jones' killer Sean Mercer has been jailed after helping another of her sons to evade justice.
Janette Mercer was previously locked up for three years back in 2009 for perverting the course of justice, having told lies to detectives investigating the 11-year-old schoolboy's fatal shooting at her son Sean Mercer's hands. The now 63-year-old appeared back before Liverpool Crown Court on having been convicted for a second time after pleading guilty to assisting an offender.
This charge relates to another of her three sons, Joseph Mercer, whom she helped to remain at large while he was wanted over drug supply offences. Janette Mercer was imprisoned for nine months.
Stuart Farrell
A wholesale drugs trafficker from Whiston was snatched by Spanish police in Madrid as he tried to board a flight to Dubai.
Stuart Farrell was one of hundreds of organised criminals exposed by the EncroChat encrypted phone network hack in 2020. An investigation revealed he was the man behind the handle "OutoOut", which had been used to trade "multi-kilos" of cocaine.
The 54-year-old fled the country in a bid to avoid arrest, but his luck ran out on October 2, 2021 as he tried to fly to the United Arab Emirates. He was convicted of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and locked up at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, where he was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Shaun Byott
A woman suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung after she was pushed down the stairs by her ex-boyfriend.
Shaun Byott, of Lowerson Road in Clubmoor, attacked his former partner in the early hours following a drunken night in the pub. Her face was also left "covered in blood" following the assault.
Byott admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and possession of cannabis, in relation to a small quantity of the class B drug discovered upon his arrest. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was jailed for nine months.
Martin Lamb
A DJ turned dealer used his "big horrible Serbian mate" to enforce a £100,000 drug debt and saw £15,000 as small change.
Martin Lamb secretly used the codename "Masked Swan" as he trafficked up to 123kg of heroin, cocaine and cannabis. The profits of his involvement in the underworld and connections abroad allowed him to pay for a luxury apartment in an exclusive gated development overlooking Sefton Park as he shipped drugs as far afield as London and South Yorkshire.
Lamb admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and cannabis and possession of cocaine. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for 10 years.
Sajmir Neziri
A van driver was caught with 20 bin bags filled with cannabis when he was pulled over by police.
Sajmir Neziri was tracked along a the M53 before being stopped near to the entrance to the Kingsway Tunnel. He later claimed he was being paid to dispose of the "waste material" from a large scale cannabis farm as an "odd job".
Neziri admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for six months.
Kevin Patten
A man who harassed his ex-partner for months and crashed his car into hers during a pursuit laughed in court as he heard how it affected her.
Kevin Patten "lay in wait" for his victim before tailing her, then intentionally smashed into her vehicle twice. He was jailed for 15 months.
Paul Crawley
A drug dealer found with £40,000 in cash allowed his flat to be used for drug production.
Paul Crawley pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to supply cocaine, one count of possession with intent to supply cannabis and one count of being in possession of stolen goods. He was jailed for four-and-a-half years and blew a kiss goodbye to his partner as he was taken down to the cells.
Kevin Connell
A known drug dealer was found with 97 wraps of cocaine hidden up his bottom.
Kevin Connell was caught red-handed when police spotted him completing an illicit transaction. He was jailed for 44 months.
Carl Price
Two county lines drug dealers exploited a teenager and told him to hide drugs inside his body.
Andrew Hansen, 49, of Yelverton Road, Anfield, and Carl Price, 29, of Curate Road, Anfield, both appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday. The two men were involved in transporting and selling drugs between Liverpool and Colwyn Bay, Wales, and used the boy as part of their operation.
Price was sentenced to nine and a half years imprisonment. Hansen was handed a seven-year sentence.
Peter Melia
A granddad was caught with more than £11m of cocaine and heroin hidden inside bags for life when his van was pulled over by police.
Peter Melia was stopped on the motorway while couriering the huge stash of class A drugs, which was concealed in a hidden compartment inside his vehicle.
Melia admitted possession of cocaine and heroin. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was jailed for 10 years and eight months.
Erland Spahiu
Eight men have been jailed for life after abducting and brutally murdering a former boxer.
Christopher Hughes' mutilated body was discovered on a country road on the outskirts of Skelmersdale by a dogwalker after he was bundled into the back of an Audi by and viciously attacked. The 37-year-old suffered nearly 100 separate injuries, having been hunted down by a vigilante gang who wrongly believed the dad had raped a teenager.
Erland Spahiu, of White Moss Road in Skelmersdale, was found guilty of murder and kidnapping. The 34-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum term of 35 years.
Curtis Balbas, of Matheson Drive in Wigan, pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping. The 30-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum term of 34 years.
Martin Smith, of Greenwood Avenue in Wigan, was found guilty of murder and kidnapping. The 34-year-old shook his head, took a sip of water then threw his plastic cup to the floor after he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 33 years.
Razgar Mohammed, of Plane Avenue in Wigan, was found guilty of murder and kidnapping. The 40-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years.
Alan Jaf, of Ridyard Street in Wigan, was found guilty of murder and kidnapping. The 52-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years.
Khalil Awla, of Greenwood Avenue in Wigan, was found guilty of murder and kidnapping. The 48-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years.
Dean O’Neill-Davey, of Conrad Close in Wigan, was found guilty of murder and kidnapping. The 30-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years.
Erion Voja, of Peall Road in Croydon, was found guilty of murder and kidnapping. The 21-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum of 23 years.
He ranted at the judge after learning his sentence, saying: "I know myself, I'm no murderer. I'll get my justice one day you t***."
Voja continued his outburst after being led into the cells, where he reportedly began punching walls. He added: "I don't give a f*** any more."
Andrius Uzkuraitis, of Holly Road in Wigan, was acquitted of murder and kidnapping but convicted of assisting an offender. The 27-year-old was jailed for six years.
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