Criminals who were involved in a Guns and grenades gang war exposed in leaked police report which led up to the deaths of Liverpool man John Kinsella and his close friend Paul Massey have been jailed for over 90 years.
A 50 strong collection of up and coming Guns and grenades gang war exposed in leaked police report called the A Team was all set to control crime across Greater Manchester. Loyal to underworld figure Paul Massey, the gang spent their cash in Manchester nightclubs and senior members were photographed at events dressed in matching white outfits.
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But when a drink was thrown over a gang member in a club it led to a bitter dispute which escalated into a violent gang war. Men who had grown up together became sworn enemies over night.
Stephen Britton, said to be very close to veteran Salford criminal Paul Massey, headed up the A team. Jamie Rothwell and Michael Carroll led a rival faction known as the anti-A team. This collection of younger, more volatile criminals managed to outsmart their elders, fitting trackers to cars and pushing the violence toward the previously unimaginable.
Ruthless hitman Mark Fellows, a member of the rogue anti-A team group, shot both Massey and Kinsella dead during the bloody dispute between rival criminals. Massey died in a machine gun attack outside his Salford home and Kinsella was executed in front of his partner while out walking his dogs on a Saturday morning. Kinsella had been a pallbearer at Massey's funeral and the fact that he was targeted by the gunman who murdered Massey represented a continuation of the A Team gang war which had already raged across Salford.
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Fellows received a whole life sentence for the two murders and is now likely to die behind bars.
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Today criminals linked to the rival factions were jailed for their roles in two high profile shootings in 2015 which took place during the brutal gang war. The first concerned an attack on Jamie Rothwell at a car wash in Ashton in Makerfield. The A team targeted Rothwell, said to be a leading member of the anti-A team faction, hours after a hand grenade attack on the A team in Salford. Rothwell, a well known Manchester criminal, survived the shooting, which was caught on CCTV. He refused to speak to police about it and was photographed laughing with his mates in hospital days later.
Jacob Harrison and John Kent were both charged in relation to the targeted shooting. Harrison who had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause GBH, was jailed for 14 years. Kent, who had been found guilty of conspiracy to cause GBH and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, was jailed for 14 years and six months.
Mr Justice Popplewell said that Harrison was an "active and trusted" member of the A-Team and involved in its drug dealing activities. Kent was not a member of the A-Team, his connection was his daughter was the long term partner of Aldaire Warmington. He "mistakenly allowed himself to be persuaded" to get involved, the judge said.
Guns and grenades gang war exposed in leaked police report
Massey was a hero to the A Team and they wanted revenge for his murder. Salford schoolboy Christian Hickey was doing his homework when there was a knock on the door on the evening of October 12 2015. When his mum opened the door, a masked gunman opened fire. A bullet passed through the mum's leg and hit her son's thigh. Police believed that A team gangsters had visited the address to shoot Christian's dad, who was a close friend of Michael Carroll. Christian and his mum both spent a month in hospital and underwent several operations. Christian still suffers from flashbacks.
In relation to the Christian Hickey shooting; Carne Thomasson was found guilty of conspiracy to cause GBH and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Christopher Hall was found guilty of conspiracy to cause GBH and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Aldaire Warmington was found guilty of conspiracy to cause GBH and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. James Coward was found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Dominic Walton was found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Lincoln Warmington was found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Mr Justice Popplewell said that the shooting was ‘retaliation’ for the murder of Paul Massey. He said: “The effect on Jayne and Christian Hickey has been profound and lasting. Christian has been robbed of a normal childhood.
“There is no hyperbole in Jayne Hickey’s statement that their lives were torn apart and will never be the same again.”
The judge said Aldaire Warmington played a ‘senior role’ in the gang and jailed him for 20 years. He must also serve a further five years on licence after being classed as a ‘dangerous’ offender. Turning to Carne Thomasson , the judge said he was also a ‘senior member’ of the A Team: ‘slightly junior’ to Aldaire Warmington, but not subordinate. Warmington was jailed for 23 years. He will also serve a further five years on licence after being classed as a ‘dangerous’ offender. Christopher Hall was subordinate to Carne Thomasson and Aldaire Warmington but still played an ‘important role’, the judge said. Hall was jailed for 14 years and six months. He will serve a further four years on licence after being classed as a ‘dangerous’ offender.
Dominic Walton was jailed for two years. This sentence will be consecutive to the term he is serving for a nightclub stabbing.
James Coward was jailed for two years. This sentence will be consecutive to the term he is also serving for a nightclub stabbing
Lincoln Warmington was jailed for two years and three months.
Police have been unable to identify the gunman responsible for the Rothwell shooting and for the Hickey shooting.
After today's sentencing Detective Chief Inspector Carl Jones, who helped lead the investigation into the gang war, said: "Today we have seen eight members of a Salford-based organised crime group sentenced for their roles in two plots to shoot men in cold blood as part of a feud with another OCG. Although none of them pulled the trigger, each man played their respective parts in the conspiracies and most of them considered themselves untouchable, believing that they could lie their way out of trouble.
"Thankfully the jury saw through their lies and they deserve to be exactly where they are, facing a lengthy prison sentence. To shoot a young boy on his doorstep is absolutely sickening and the thought of getting justice for Christian has been a driving force for the investigation team, whose dedication and meticulous efforts have brought us to where we are today.
"Their work, supported by Salford council, the Crown Prosecution Service and other partner agencies, has made bringing these dangerous men to justice possible. I cannot stress enough how positive a result these convictions are for the people of Salford, whose daily lives will have been impacted by the criminal activities of the notorious organised crime group known as the A-Team.
"I hope the sentences imposed on them will send a clear message that, no matter who you are, if you are involved in organised crime, we will pursue you and do all we can to put a stop to your criminal activities."
