A remorseless killer launched a vile 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 today. 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.
READ MORE: Live updates as killer Rueben Murphy to be sentenced for murder
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.
Today all three men faced sentence before Mr Justice Stephen Morris. He said: "This was a shocking, premeditated attack in broad daylight on the streets of Liverpool. For neighbours in the area at the time it must have been a terrifying experience."
Judge Morris outlined the facts of the case, before telling the drug-dealing thug: "This was a brazen and shocking attack, leading to the senseless death of a young man. At no stage have either of you shown remorse for what you have done nor for the enduring misery that you have caused to others."
Murphy was asked to stand and told he will serve life in prison with a minimum of 31 years before he will be eligible to apply for Parole. As the sentence was read, the wild-eyed murderer began shouting and ranting.
He said he had been expecting a longer sentence before telling Judge Morris: "Thanks very much you fat paedophile." Murphy also screamed "f*** the system" and said he was "always smiling" as he was escorted out of the dock.
Earlier in the sentencing hearing, as the court was being adjourned for the lunch-time period, Murphy had also shouted from the dock: "Gang, gang, gang, gang; gang of f****** rats" while staring at Mr Boyle's family.
After the defendants were taken to the cell, Judge Morris thanked the victim's relatives for their dignity and told them "I know it is designed to get a reaction from you."
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.
During the hearing, Mr Boyle's partner, Miss Deans, read a harrowing victim impact statement to the court. She said: "I was nine weeks pregnant when Paddy was killed by these evil people. We were both so excited to be a little family and were excited for our first scan so we could tell our families our happy news.
"All this didn’t happen because of the two defendants. He never got to go to our first scan or got to find out what we were having or be at the birth. They have robbed our son of ever meeting his amazing daddy, us both of our future as a family and memories, no photographs to show him when he’s older of us together as a family.
“I didn’t just lose my boyfriend on July 1, 2021, but my best friend and soul mate too. Paddy was my safe place and biggest adventure. He was taken far too soon."
Ken Grant, prosecuting, also read a statement on behalf of Mr Boyle's dad, Robert Boyle, who said: "When the trial finished I commented that although I have seen justice done, my son is still in the ground, and for nothing."
The court heard that the catalyst for the killing appeared to be a petty row in the street between Murphy and a friend of Mr Boyle's, called Frazer Brown, at around 12.40pm in the area of Lyme Grove, close to Doyle's address. During his trial, Murphy told the jury Mr Brown owed him money for cannabis and had "taken the p***" when Murphy was jailed for possessing a firearm and bullets in 2015.
That spat appears to have led to a plot to target and kill Mr Boyle, and saw Doyle obtain an electric Sur Ron bike with black bin bags wrapped around the frame as a crude disguise. In the hours before the shooting CCTV captured Murphy making a number of journeys between Lyme Grove, Pennard Avenue and Barkbeth Road - during which the court heard he picked up the 9mm semi-automatic gun and ammunition.
Mr Boyle's mum, sister, dad and partner each said they believed they would "never get answers" as to why such a seemingly minor dispute led to their loved one being executed in cold blood.
Speaking after the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath, of Merseyside Police said: “This was a cold and calculated act which resulted in the murder of a dad-of-two on a street in broad daylight. Rueben Murphy and Ben Doyle continued to deny their involvement in Patrick Boyle’s death, forcing his family and friends to endure a criminal trial played out in public. They will now spend a considerable amount of time behind bars for their actions.
This case shows all too well the grim reality of arming yourself with a gun and I hope that it acts as a deterrent for others thinking of doing the same. Not only have the actions of Murphy and Doyle on that night resulted in the untimely death of a young man, but it has had a massive impact on their victim's children, family and friends as well as their own family and friends.
“Gun crime is never acceptable and Merseyside Police will continue to do everything in its powers to find the people carrying and using firearms and bringing them to justice. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the investigation team and the Crown Prosecution Service for bringing this case to a successful conclusion.”
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