The longest term imposed in the past year was a life imprisonment with a minimum term of 32 years
From left; Stephen Finnigan, Jayne Hill and Graham Goodchild(Image: Merseyside Police)
Dozens of huge prison sentences were handed down to Merseyside criminals by Liverpool Crown Court judges during 2024. Jail terms north of 20 years are reserved for only the most serious of cases, with those given two decades or more behind bars over the past 12 months including killers, sex offenders and dealers who trafficked drugs and guns on encrypted communications platform EncroChat.
The heaviest sentences were handed down to drug trafficker Michael Riccio and the killers of 19-year-old Nyle Corrigan. These are 34 defendants who were locked up for 20 years or more by the courts in 2024.
READ MORE: These are the faces of 603 Merseyside criminals who were jailed during 2024READ MORE: 7 of the most high profile trials due to take place at Liverpool Crown Court in 2025
Stephen Finnigan
Stephen Finnigan, 63, of Longfield Road, Litherland was sentenced to 29 years and six months behind bars(Image: Merseyside Police)
A paedophile army cadet instructor sexually abused five children over a number of decades. Stephen Finnigan was convicted of sexual offences following a two-week trial and was jailed for 29-and-a-half years.
Felipe Figuieredo
Felipe Diglio Figueiredo, 28, of Birleywood, Skelmersdale(Image: Lancashire Constabulary)
A man was jailed for life for the murder of a schoolboy he thought was responsible for stealing his wife’s motorbike. Felipe Figuieredo stabbed 15-year-old Dylan Bragger more than 23 times on Digmoor Road in Skelmersdale.
The 23-year-old denied murder but was found guilty by a jury, who took just three hours to convict him. He was told he must serve at least 23 years in prison before becoming eligible for release.
Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe
Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, who have been named as the murderers of Brianna Ghey, 16, who was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times(Image: PA)
Brianna Ghey’s killers will serve decades behind bars. The 16-year-old died after being stabbed 28 times in Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington.
Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, who were previously known as Girl X and Boy Y due to reporting restrictions, were found guilty of her murder. They were locked up for life with minimum terms of 22 and 20 years respectively.
Wayne McKenzie
Wayne McKenzie(Image: National Crime Agency)
A former professional footballer imported a shipment of guns into the UK hidden inside a vat of chemical waste. Wayne McKenzie then sold the firearms, some of which had been sourced from Yemen, onto Albanian gangs while making thousands of pounds in profit per piece.
He was also involved in the trafficking of cocaine and cannabis worth more than £2m, having utilised contacts around the globe as he plotted to smuggle drugs into the country on a yacht. McKenzie was convicted of being concerned in the evasion of a prohibition on the importation of firearms and cannabis, being concerned in the supply of cocaine and participating in the activities of an organised crime group by a jury, having admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis and conspiracy to transfer criminal property, and was jailed for 30 years.
Joseph Drake
Joseph Drake(Image: Merseyside Police)
Drug traffickers operated under the EncroChat handles “Moody Camel” and “Unreal Penguin” as they ran a cocaine business “on the most serious and commercial scale”. Joseph Drake was part of a Merseyside-based gang with a “nationwide reach”, shipping hundreds of kilograms of illicit substances potentially worth an estimated £8.4million across the country.
They were locked up for a combined total of more than 75 years. Drake was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine and was jailed for 26 years.
Liam Thomas
Liam Thomas, 25, of Woodend Avenue, Crosby, jailed for life for the murder of his cousin Matthew Horton(Image: Merseyside Police)
A man who stabbed his own cousin to death in a late night row outside his girlfriend’s flat was jailed for life. Liam Thomas knifed 32-year-old Matthew Horton three times in the back, shoulder and thigh after confronting him in a car park on Sefton View in Litherland.
The dad-of-two had turned up at the flat block where his ex-girlfriend Chelsea Shaw lived and began acting aggressively, “shouting abuse and throwing a bottle of water repeatedly against Ms Shaw’s window”. Thomas, who was Ms Shaw’s new partner, then went outside at 11.30pm and confronted his older cousin.
The two men were said to have grappled with one another before Thomas stabbed Mr Horton three times in full view of a number of horrified residents, who had been alerted by the commotion outside. The 26-year-old killer said he initially believed Mr Horton had been armed with an axe, bat or metal bar during the altercation and that there had been “another guy with his face covered nearby”.
Thomas also alleged Ms Shaw had “passed him some sort of sharp item” and that he had “waved it about to try and fend Matthew off to defend himself, and never intended to hit him”. He denied making any stabbing motion and maintained that Mr Horton had been wounded by coming forward onto the knife.
However, a jury rejected his version of events, finding him guilty of murder and possession of a bladed article following a two-week trial. Thomas was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 22 years.
Henry Houghton
Henry Houghton, 19, of Barrison Green, Scarisbrick was found guilty of the murder of Matthew Daulby
A teenager was handed a life sentence for his role in the killing of Matthew Daulby. Henry Houghton attacked his 19-year-old victim with a rock which he had stuffed into a sports sock and used in a mass brawl in Ormskirk.
The teen suffered a serious injury which damaged his skull and frontal lobe, although the injury itself was not fatal. He also suffered a knife wound to his chest and collapsed in the aftermath of the attack, later dying in hospital.
Houghton, also aged 19, was found guilty of murder by a jury. He was sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years behind bars.
Jonathan Cassidy
Jonathan Cassidy was jailed for 21 years(Image: PA)
A former builder who was at the top of a multi-million pound drugs empire compared himself to the Mexican drug lord “El Chapo”. Jonathan Cassidy ran the international drugs racket alongside his younger brother Jamie, a former Liverpool FC youth star.
They later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Jonathan was sentenced to 21 years and nine months, while Jamie received 13 years and three months.
Gary Moffatt
Gary Moffatt(Image: Merseyside Police)
A heroin and cocaine trafficker was unmasked after he saved a man’s life and through pictures taken on his stag do in Bilbao. Gary Moffatt traded wholesale quantities of class A and B drugs using the handle “SmartRoyal” on encrypted communications platform EncroChat.
The dad also attempted to trade his antique gun for a modern upgrade, joking that his 19th century firearm was akin to a weapon held by Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry. He admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine, cannabis and cannabis resin, conspiracy to transfer a prohibited weapon and conspiracy to possess ammunition and was jailed for 21 years and two months.
Raymond Hawthorne
Raymond Hawthorne(Image: Merseyside Police)
A paedophile gave a boy Pot Noodles laced with drugs before sexually abusing him. Raymond Hawthorne subjected two children to sickening campaigns of assault and rape.
He lavished one of the youngsters with expensive gifts, including trainers and a bike, as he exploited him for his own twisted desires. The now 60-year-old was found guilty of two counts of rape, 10 charges of indecent assault and two offences of gross indecency with a child by a jury and was jailed for 27 years and handed an additional eight years on licence.
Thomas Speed and Scott Roseau
Thomas Speed(Image: Merseyside Police)
A man’s trip to the chippy led to him being jailed for nearly 30 years. Thomas Speed was identified as the user of the EncroChat handle “Simple Creek” after his supposedly secret messages showed him referencing a chip shop near to his house, as well as his tarmacking business.
He and two other men, James Salkeld and Scott Roseau, were handed a combined total of more than 65 years behind bars, having used the encrypted communications platform to traffic firearms and wholesale quantities of class A drugs. Speed was found guilty of conspiracy to possession firearms for sale or transfer, conspiracy to possess ammunition and conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine by a jury and he was imprisoned for 28 years.
Scott Roseau(Image: North West Regional Organised Crime Unit)
Roseau, who used the handle “Mystic Kangaroo”, was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to possess firearms, two charges of conspiracy to possess ammunition and conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine. His supporters burst into tears and walked out of the courtroom as he was handed 22 years.
Salkeld, aka “Best Golfer”, pleaded guilty to conspiracy possess firearms and ammunition and conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and cannabis. He was locked up for 15 years and four months.
Kevin Perry
Kevin Perry(Image: Merseyside Police)
A childminder was unmasked as a predatory paedophile. Kevin Perry bribed his victim with gifts and trips to concerts as he sexually abused her at a beach and raped her while she was in tears.
Perry was unanimously convicted of two counts of rape and 13 charges of indecent assault by a jury. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for 20 years.
Gary Stockley
Gary Stockley(Image: Merseyside Police)
A man was jailed on his birthday after being unmasked as a depraved “monster”. Gary Stockley subjected one young girl to a catalogue of horrific sexual abuse.
He also took sickening pictures of another child on his mobile phone. The mum of one of his victims labelled him the “lowest of the low” and the “dregs of society” as he was handed a lengthy prison sentence on the day he turned 43.
Stockley was convicted of five counts of rape, three of attempted rape, 12 charges of sexual assault, taking indecent images of a child and making indecent images following two trials. He also admitted three offences of possession of extreme pornographic images and publishing extreme pornographic images and, appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, was imprisoned for 22 years and handed an additional three years on licence.
Graham Goodchild
Graham Goodchild, of Firtree Way, Southampton(Image: Merseyside police)
A former Alder Hey Children’s Hospital worker abused his trusted position to groom and sexually assault young boys in his care. Graham Goodchild sexually abused four boys while working as a night superintendent at the hospital in the 1960s and 70s, assaulting one youngster as he lay helpless in his hospital bed.
The majority of the sexual assaults occurred at the victims’ houses or at Goodchild’s own home in Merseyside, as well as during day trips to parks. One boy was even abused at the hospital itself.
Goodchild was found guilty of 17 counts of sexual assault and an attempted sexual assault following a trial earlier this year. The now 81-year-old was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Edward Jarvis
Edward Jarvis(Image: North West Regional Organised Crime Unit)
An EncroChat heavyweight instrumental in the operation of the notorious Huyton Firm played an “integral” role in a menacing blackmail plot. Edward Jarvis a key figure in the organised crime group led by Vincent Coggins, was involved in trafficking huge quantities of class A drugs worth millions of pounds.
The 59-year-old helped to orchestrate the gang’s supply of large consignments of cocaine and heroin to mid-level dealers across Merseyside and the rest of the country. Coggins’ men were involved in the supply of a total of 150kg of cocaine and 215kg of heroin during the early months of 2020.
Along with his boss and co-conspirators Paul Woodford and Michael Earle, Jarvis also hatched a violent vendetta against a number of individuals who they suspected had robbed one of the gang’s stash houses and made off with over £1m of cocaine. However the gang’s plans, made over EncroChat, were monitored by police officers after the encrypted messaging platform was hacked in April 2020 by European law enforcement.
Jarvis was found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to commit blackmail. He was jailed for a total of 25 years.
Mark Nolan
Mark Nolan, 55, admitted conspiracy to transfer prohibited weapons and conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis(Image: NCA)
The user of the EncroChat handles “Robust Bronze” and “Master Castle” was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Mark Nolan acted as an agent and broker for another user, selling firearms on his behalf.
Jayne Hill
Jayne Hill(Image: Merseyside Police)
A carer who hit her 90-year-old patient over the head with a metal flask before fatally suffocating her with a pillow was jailed for life. Jayne Hill sat in her car smoking cigarettes outside Myra Thompson’s home on Bolde Way in Spital, Wirral, as she waited for the pensioner’s bedroom light to go out.
Then, under the cover of darkness, the 52-year-old entered the address and brutally murdered the elderly woman. It came after the killer, of Norwich Drive in Upton, had been caught red-handed stealing cash from the OAP, having previously pinched necklaces and a gold ring from other service users whom she had been entrusted to provide care for.
Hill admitted murder and four counts of theft and sat with her head bowed in the dock throughout today’s hearing. She showed no reaction as she has handed a life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22-and-a-half years.
Ali Alduhlaimi
Ali Alduhlaimi(Image: Merseyside Police)
A paedophile spent nearly 10 years on the run outside of the UK after fleeing to Yemen when his crimes first came to light. But Ali Alduhlaimi has now finally been brought to justice, having returned to this country when he wrongly “thought that the coast was clear”.
It came after the vile sex offender subjected a girl to a sickening campaign of rape and abuse when she was aged as young as four. He remains remorseless for his actions however and sat emotionless in the dock as he was handed a huge prison sentence.
Alduhlaimi was convicted of two counts of rape, sexual assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and causing a child to watch sexual activity by a jury following a trial. Assisted by an interpreter in court, he showed no emotion and sat with his arms folded as he was jailed for 21 years and handed an additional year on licence.
David Dunn
David Dunn(Image: Merseyside Police)
A heroin and cocaine trafficker plotted to source an AK47 and shoot his enemies over a stolen stash of drugs. David Dunn utilised the handle “TrunkCrocodile” on encrypted communications platform EncroChat in order to trade wholesale quantities of illicit class A and B substances.
He was said to have operated his own “boutique” business, which saw hundreds of thousands of pounds in dirty cash change hands. But, years down the line, he was arrested on the continent as his secret past finally caught up with him.
Dunn admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and ketamine, conspiracy to transfer prohibited weapons and possession of a prohibited weapon. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for 20 years.
Michael Riccio
Michael Riccio(Image: National Crime Agency)
A drug dealer was jailed for 35 years after he used EncroChat to supply vast quantities of drugs and weapons while also plotting acts of extreme violence against his rivals. Michael Riccio used the handle “Lead Fern” on the encrypted communications platform as he made efforts to acquire a shotgun “to give someone a leggy”.
He also amassed a staggering £2.5million in old £20 notes as he trafficked weapons and drugs, but was caught out after sending a contact a selfie of himself missing a tooth. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Paul Green, Russell Leonard and Alan Cumming
Ringleader Paul Green, 59, from Widnes was convicted of: conspiracy to import amphetamine x2; conspiracy to import cocaine; conspiracy to import amphetamine; fraud by false representation; conspiracy to import cocaine and or diamorphine x2; and conspiracy to import cannabis or cannabis resin x2. He was handed a 32 year prison sentence(Image: National Crime Agency)
A drug boss who led an international crime group that saw billions of pounds of drugs smuggled into the UK has been sentenced to 32 years in prison. Paul Green was convicted along with 17 other members of the organised crime group following the National Crime Agency’s investigation into the UK’s biggest detected drugs conspiracy.
Known by his accomplices as ‘the Big Fella’, he was locked up alongside Russell Leonard, a 47-year-old “foot soldier” who spoke fluent Dutch and was caught with 57kgs of amphetamine in a van. He was handed 24 years.
Russell Leonard, from Kirkby, was jailed for 24 years(Image: National Crime Agency)
Alan Cumming meanwhile played an “administrative role” in helping to organise drugs shipments. He was sentenced to 21 years behind bars.
Alan Cumming, 54, of Litherland Road, Bootle, was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine and conspiracy to import amphetamine. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison.(Image: NCA)
Paul Wilson
Paul Wilson(Image: Merseyside Police)
A serial rapist who sexually abused three women remained emotionless as he was put behind bars for decades. Paul Wilson repeatedly raped one woman over the course of years then targeted a second victim as she slept.
He also subjected another complainant to a further horrific sex attack until she was able to fight him off with a candle. When asked why he had assaulted her, the dad-of-two replied: “Because my head’s up my a**e.”
Wilson was found guilty of offences including four counts of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm by a jury following two trials. He showed no reaction in the dock as he was jailed for 21 years and handed an additional five years on licence.
Darren Schofield, Stephen Martland, Paul Mockett, Neil Maguire, Paul O’Shea and David Jones
Darren Schofield(Image: National Crime Agency)
A gang led by a drug importer known as “Thor” attempted to smuggle £140m of cocaine into the UK from Sierra Leone. The huge stash of illicit class A substances was hidden inside a shipment of flour which was transported from West Africa by boat before its seizure at the border.
Members of the Merseyside-based organised crime group behind the plot have been locked up for a combined total of more than 75 years. They included a pensioner who was sentence to decades behind bars on his 70th birthday.
Neil Maguire(Image: National Crime Agency)
Darren Schofield admitted conspiracy to import cocaine. Appearing via video link to HMP Manchester, he was jailed for 20 years – reduced from 30 years for his guilty plea.
Stephen Martland(Image: National Crime Agency)
Stephen Martland was convicted of the same offence after trial, while Paul Mockett pleaded guilty to the charge. Appearing remotely from HMP Liverpool and HMP Preston, they were imprisoned for 21 and 13-and-a-half years respectively.
Paul Mockett(Image: National Crime Agency)
Neil Maguire admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine and was handed 11 years and four months. Paul O’Shea pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and was given six years.
Paul O’Shea(Image: National Crime Agency)
David Jones, also appearing on the link from Walton prison, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years. Darren Wetton pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis and received a 12-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months.
David Jones(Image: National Crime Agency)
Martin Wilson and Connor Smith
Martin Wilson convicted of the murder of Nyle Corrigan(Image: Merseyside Police)
Two men have been found guilty of murdering a teenage boy who was shot once in the back in a “targeted and planned attack.” Nyle Corrigan was fatally shot in the back aged 19 when two gunmen ambushed him by the side of Boode Croft in Stockbridge Village at around 6.30pm on November 12 2020.
Jamie Coggins, Martin Wilson, Connor Smith and Anthony Llewellyn had been on trial accused of murder and conspiracy to possess a 9mm Glock self-loading pistol with intent to endanger life. Wilson and Smith were found guilty following 12 hours and eight minutes of deliberations by a jury and sentenced to life imprisonment with minimum terms of 32 years.
Connor Smith convicted of the murder of Nyle Corrigan(Image: Merseyside Police)
Coggins was found not guilty of murder but was convicted by the jury of assisting an offender and handed four years. Llewellyn was cleared of all charges.