Nine defendants have been convicted of murder
Nine defendants have been convicted of the murder of businessman Michael Anton O'Connor. After following the trial, Legal Affairs Correspondent Rebecca Sherdley looks back on the evidence against the defendants - and how a drugs war spiralled out of control and led to the killing of an innocent man
What followed sent him a clear message. A man was stabbed with a Rambo-style knife in an alley at a "White House Line" dealing spot, and a drugs runner complained about being scared, and "the rivals were just not letting me into The Meadows", the lengthy Nottingham Crown Court trial had heard. Drug dealer Leonard Ward, the alleged head of a drug-dealing Organised Crime Group in The Meadows, with his right hand man Jerone Sheard, organised for Ward's upstream supplier of drugs, Ben Taylor, who was the head of the Manchester end, to send the muscle from up north - Joseph Boscomb, 39, of Rostherne Avenue, Manchester; Joshua Agboola, 28, of Leven Grove, Darwen, Blackburn, and Michael Mingoes, 19, of Powell Street, Manchester.
Those on trial for murder were: Benjamin Taylor, 37, of Monton Road, Eccles, Manchester, Leonard Ward, 41, of Marwood Road, Carlton; Joseph Boscomb, 39, of Rostherne Avenue, Manchester; Joshua Agboola, 28, of Leven Grove, Darwen, Blackburn, and Carla McGuire, 51, of Wilford Crescent West, The Meadows.
He eventually accepted the person he was referring to in all this was the rival dealer. Ward, who was brought up in St Ann's, denied in his evidence to the jury he was the head of an "Organised Crime Group".He is the partner of defendant Kerry-Anne Shepherd, 34, of Plantagenet Street, St Ann's. The prosecution had suggested Sheard was the "right hand man at the top of this "OCG" with Leonard Ward.
However, the jury also found out that, at the time, he told the hospital he was injured as a result of playing football. He said he got paranoid as a result of the attack and took a year out of college. He was the one who directed Mingoes to hand himself in to police with a prepared statement. Mingoes had told the jury he was afraid to go back to Boscomb when police declined to take him back into custody.
The prosecution also said that Boscomb was the man who assaulted Jack Coxon. Mr Coxon encountered masked men who attacked him near to where the killing happened later. Before the murder, the address was a meeting point for some of the defendants, including the "hit team" sent from Manchester. Minutes before the killing, the CCTV at the house was turned off. Prosecutors said Carla McGuire controlled the CCTV from her phone.The CCTV was installed, according to the prosecution, shortly after the release of the rival dealer from prison. She was present on the doorstep of her home when the men from Manchester arrived.
She allegedly drove back - at what appeared to be some considerable speed - as Mr O'Connor was seen to be walking in the opposite direction. The four passengers were dropped off. He took them out on the bicycles, it was claimed. He was with Boscomb when the robbery happened on Mr Coxon. McGuire disputed the robbery.Verdict: Guilty of murderShe was a close friend of Paula Usherwood and Carla McGuire. She was allegedly outside in the car at the Poets Corner pub when the meeting between Usherwood and the rival dealer took place. She was allegedly part of the "blocking group" as Mr O'Connor tried to escape.
The prosecution also said Curtis was a member of the "blocking party" - the group who tried to prevent Mr O'Connor's escape. But the defence say the evidence against him simply did not add up - the Poets Corner pub is his local, his bedroom was at the back of the property - and he would not have been aware of any conversations in the kitchen.Verdict: Not guilty of murder
She knew Rebecca Bell for about seven years and treated her like a sister-in-law. Carla McGuire effectively became her mother when she lost her own mum, the jury heard.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
9 found guilty of murder of Michael Anton O'Connor in The MeadowsTwo people were cleared
Read more »
'I'm innocent; 'Nicola Sturgeon makes statement after arrest :Nicola Sturgeon has released a statement stating “I am innocent” following her arrest and release without charge today.
Read more »
Gadaffi's right hand man claims Al Megrahi 'innocent and used as a scapegoat'Gaddafi confidante Daad Sharab who visited Abdelbaset al-Megrahi three times in prison hopes his family may finally find “justice” after the arrest of Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi
Read more »
Nicola Sturgeon insists she is ‘innocent of any wrongdoing’Scotland’s former first minister was the third, high-profile SNP politician to be arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the party's finances
Read more »