One of the men convicted of murdering Rikki Berry in an 'execution-style' attack was previously targeted in an assault just days earlier, a court has heard.
One of the men involved in a plot to murder a father in an 'execution-style' shooting was attacked less than two weeks before the fatal incident, it has been revealed. Rikki Berry, 36, was shot by a gunman on an electric bike outside his girlfriend's house in Kirkby, Merseyside, last July. Michael Smith, 27, Adam Williams, 26, and Connor Walsh, 26, were unanimously convicted of his murder by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday.
They were also found guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. It has now been reported that Williams was the target of an attack reported to the police on July 5, 2024, 12 days before Mr. Berry's death. Details of this incident were revealed during a legal discussion in the absence of the jury after Williams stated in his evidence that he had been stopped by police on that date and therefore linked to the car he was accused of using during the shooting. David McLachlan KC, prosecuting, said there had been 'an incident involving Adam Williams and some other males' on that date. 'Adam Williams was with another male and his girlfriend,' he added. 'He arrived back in Kirkby. He was pursued by young lads on electric bikes in all dark clothing. They were clearly after him. They patted the other lad down and left him alone. 'On that date, no stop check was made by the police. However, a complaint went in from Adam Williams' partner. On that date, the vehicle can be linked to Adam Williams, albeit there was no stop check made on that date. 'Connected to that point, Adam Williams consistently stated that he had no beef with anyone and was very clear in that recollection. That is not borne out, the prosecution say, by the evidence on July 5. Clearly, somebody had beef with him. They were trying to attack him and attack him they did, albeit he did not make a complaint. 'Police checked the vehicle and were able to link it to him. He was linked to the vehicle but not by a stop check. The difficulty comes from Mr. Williams asserting that he had no beef with anyone whatsoever.' Mr. McLachlan said the prosecution had opted not to present this evidence to the jury and 'chose not to for good reasons'. It is understood masked attackers were never ultimately identified and therefore could not conclusively be linked to the murder of Mr. Berry. Williams was said to have reported that 'he was alright' following the attack, with the thugs having apparently been 'just after the car' after making attempts to remove the keys to his black Seat Ateca Cupra from his pocket. The 26-year-old, of Hamblett Crescent in St Helens, admitted being the driver of a black SUV which travelled in convoy alongside gunman Smith at the time of the drive-by attack. It came minutes after the two men and Walsh, who was also present in the back of the car at the time of the shooting, had conducted a 'reconnaissance mission' on the property where their victim was working in the front yard. Both Williams and Walsh, both 26, denied acting in tandem with the shooter and claimed to have had no knowledge of any planned 'execution' on Quarryside Drive, Kirkby, at 6:33 pm on July 17 last year. The man behind the wheel maintained that he had stopped his vehicle outside Mr. Berry's home moments before the e-bike rider appeared and shot him dead after another of his passengers, Ryan Westhead, allegedly reported that the dad had shouted in their direction. Walsh's DNA was also found on one of the bullet casings recovered from the scene and the magazine of the firearm. Later the same evening, the 26-year-old, of Simonswood Lane, took a bike ride back to the scene of the crime alongside his seven-year-old son and 13-year-old nephew. Smith, of Marbury Road, pleaded guilty to the lesser offences of manslaughter and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence midway through the trial after his co-accused submitted revised defence statements naming him as the rider of the electric bike. The 25-year-old then declined to give evidence to the jury, although his counsel submitted that his intention could have been to 'frighten' Mr. Berry 'rather than harm' him during his closing speech. Following the case, Senior Crown Prosecutor Nicola Wyn Williams from the CPS Mersey-Cheshire district said: “This was a shocking, execution-style murder committed on a summer evening in July. Rikki Berry was at home with his partner and young children when four shots were fired at him by Smith. 'It was only a matter of chance that no-one else was injured or killed by the gunman’s actions. The gunman was not acting alone. The car and bike were acting in tandem. 'All three defendants had a role to play. Within three weeks of the shooting, Merseyside Police had identified the defendants as suspects, the Crown Prosecution Service had authorised murder charges and all three were before the court. 'This has been a difficult and dynamic case,”, she concluded
MURDER EXECUTION-STYLE DRIVING GUNMAN ATTACK ELECTRIC BIKE POLICE COURT CONVICTIONS
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