A man, previously arrested in relation to a fatal shooting, was shot down five times at close range while picking up a takeaway pizza. Today marks 18 years since Ryan Woolley was brutally murdered outside a shop on Picton Road in Wavertree. Despite three individuals being tried for the alleged “gangland killing”, no convictions have been made.
It is believed he was shot in the neck, face and chest as retribution for the murder of Michael “Mikey” Wright, who was killed in December 2006. Philip Woolley, Ryan’s brother, was found guilty of being the “executioner or executioner’s assistant” in Mr Wright’s murder, which occurred while he was eating outside a KFC at Croxteth’s Stonedale retail park.
Ryan Woolley himself was also apprehended during the investigation into Mr Wright’s death. However, the senior prosecutor in his own murder trial informed jurors that there was insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.
He told the jury: “There are those who do not want to rely on the proper rules of law which apply to the rest of us.”
“Thus, it would appear Ryan Woolley became a target not for the police, whose job it is to enforce the law, but for others who prefer to live outside it. A contract was put out on Ryan Woolley’s head, and his death seems to have been the consequence of it.”
On August 11 2007, Mr Woolley was seen enjoying drinks on Wavertree High Street with two individuals who would later face trial for his murder. The trio continued their drinking into the evening until approximately 9.45pm when one of the men, later acquitted, had to leave due to a police curfew.
He instructed Mr Woolley to fetch the pizzas, citing concerns about being apprehended, and during this interval, it is claimed he called upon an assassin. This hitman was accused of hiding in a secluded alley off Taunton Street, awaiting his moment.
Surveillance footage showed Mr Woolley at Prime Pizza, and tragically, just 25 seconds after his departure, five gunshots were then heard.
Mr Woolley, just shy of his 21st birthday by three days, was killed instantly. A subsequent post-mortem examination revealed that the initial shot struck him from behind in the neck, followed by another to his chin, with three additional bullets entering his torso.
In a heart-wrenching interview with the Liverpool Echo, Mr Woolley’s mother Kim said: “His brother spoke to him later that night and told him to get back to his own end of town. People have assumed that this has happened because of Philip, but as far as we know it could be something completely different.”
The trial of three suspects charged with the murder of Mr Woolley commenced in April 2009. However, after hearing evidence of a £30,000 contract on his head, their defence teams argued there was insufficient evidence to proceed.
High Court judge Mr Justice Pitchford agreed and dismissed the case, a decision which the Crown Prosecution Service unsuccessfully challenged at the Court of Appeal. Upon acquitting the defendants, Justice Pitchford stated that there was “practically no” evidence linking one of the accused to the role of gunman.
Merseyside Police have kept the investigation into Ryan Woolley’s murder active, urging anyone with information to come forward. The case gained renewed attention after the Liverpool Echo inquired about its status this week.
Howard Rubbery, head of Merseyside Police’s serious crime review unit, told the newspaper: “The murder of Ryan Woolley in 2007 is subject to regular reviews by the unit and we would always investigate any new leads or information. We know, as in many cases, that our communities often hold the information which is vital to our enquiries.”Ryan was only a young man and his death left his family and friends devastated. Any small amount of information could be the key to getting justice for them.”
It is still believed the shooting of Mr Woolley was linked to the murder of Mr Wright just months before. Underworld figure David Hibbs-Turner, described as the “principal architect and controlling mind” behind a wave of crime and terror, was convicted of ordering the shooting of Mr Wright.
A trial heard Hibbs-Turner had a longstanding personal hatred of Mr Wright because his girlfriend had previously dated him and the pair had a child together. Philip Woolley, who the court heard had an IQ of just 68 and was described as “suffering a significant mental impairment”, was also sentenced and told he would have to serve a minimum term of 24 years in prison.
Following a retrial, Mark Richardson and Paul Hollands were jailed for life for their part in the shooting, serving 28 and 25 years respectively. The judge said the shooting of Mr Wright was “a deliberate, ruthless and cowardly execution”.
Members of the public with any information regarding Ryan Woolley’s murder are urged to direct message @MerPolCC or ring 101. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.
