Paul 'Woody' Woodford, 58, has been jailed
A notorious gang enforcer with a history of violence and crime which spans Europe helped source grenades and a firearm for his boss after his stash house was raided.
Woodford built a formidable reputation during the 1990s across the south Sefton estates, from Litherland to Aintree, before he then became associated with the Huyton Firm. Woodford's violence first came to the attention of the media when he appeared in court regarding a particularly disturbing attack at a woman's house in 1995.
It is understood that in 2010, Woodford, then 45, was deployed to Amsterdam along with a heavily-armed gang. However, following a tip-off from UK police, Woodford and the rest of the team, including four Merseysiders, were arrested. It was previously reported how the gang may have planned a string of executions across the Dutch capital.
Prosecutors had alleged that a web of phone contact between Woodford and Croxton at the times of critical events showed his "behind the scenes" plotting and planning of the violence. But the jury were told that Woodford was an "innocent man in a living hell" and that he had no knowledge that Croxton, his cannabis supplier, was a gun-for-hire.
After the gang's stash house was raided, Woodford quickly offered his services. After Vincent Coggins obtained names for who he believed was behind the raid, Woodford offered to buy him a firearm and ammunition, while another associate, Michael Earle, was deployed to sort "a pineapple" - a term used to refer to a hand grenade.
An EncroChat message at around 2.30pm that day said: "..he told me they were all out together Maxwell boser eves Saturday afternoon til Sunday for anniversary drink...so Maxwell saying he got CCTV of himself not leaving house on Saturday is a f***ing lie". Later that day Coggins messaged Fitzsimmons saying "they all getting it".
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