Twin brothers face life imprisonment after “hunting” and shooting a member of a rival gang

James and Curtis Byrne fired six shots at their victim after spotting him near a club

Twins who formed a “pack”, “hunted” a member of a rival gang and shot him in the leg have been sentenced to life in prison. Gunman James Byrne and his brother Curtis Byrne travelled in convoy on electric bikes before locating their target near a club and firing six shots at him.

That incident came after a third defendant, Mason Smith, was struck by a car. There was also another incident in which a volley of shots was fired at a drug dealer on the street. One of the Byrnes later jumped out of a bedroom window when police visited his mother's house.

All three appeared at Liverpool Crown Court charged with attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent in July. The Byrnes were unanimously found guilty on those charges and returned to the same court for sentencing on Friday afternoon. However, Smith was acquitted of both charges and the lesser offence of wounding with intent.

READ MORE: Man allegedly “stole a Netflix golf buggy at the Open, caused an accident and bit a security guard”READ MORE: Chef sobs and prays in court after being arrested at airport over vile £2,000 demands

Alex Langhorn told a jury of seven men and five women during the prosecution's opening hearing that the attackers left the Byrnes' mother's home in Cross Hey Avenue, Noctorum, Wirral, shortly after 10pm on May 11, 2022, “looking for someone from the Ford estate”, also known as Beechwood. They are said to have “found” Mitchell McGraa on Fender Way, where he was seen on a CCTV camera next to the Beechwood Social Club, before three men on electric bikes approached him from the same direction.

The footage showed Curtis Byrne, now 23, at the front of that group, “circling” them before Smith, 20, allegedly “tried to knock him off his feet”. Mr McGraa then reportedly “ran for his life” while James Byrne, also 23, “shot again and again and again”.

The victim was shot once in the back of the thigh, with a bullet lodged in his leg, but was able to “escape through a row of nearby shops”. Mr Langhorn said: “The prosecution allege that these three young men went out that night with the intent to kill. Why else, you may ask, would they have gone out with a firearm? Why else would they have fired not once, not twice, not three times, but over and over again.”

Jurors heard the shooting took place against a backdrop of two feuding groups “involved in the trafficking of controlled drugs”, one based on the Woodchurch estate and one in Beechwood. The court was told that “tensions had been building since at least 2021” and then “got worse”.

In an incident on September 7, 2021, Smith was allegedly chased down the road on his bicycle by a red Ford Focus before being struck and suffering numerous broken bones. The vehicle was subsequently found burnt out “just east of the Ford property.”

Then, on March 22, 2022, a man named Callum Taylor was shot in the stomach while allegedly dealing drugs on Hoole Road in Woodchurch. CCTV footage showed a grey Ford approaching him before running away while a sequence of five bangs could be heard, followed by screams.

This vehicle was also later set on fire in an eastern part of Beechwood. Mr Taylor was described as a “close friend” of James Byrne, as the two had lived together in New Ferry for a time.

Mr Langhorn continued: “The prosecution say all three defendants are linked to Woodchurch organised crime. Mitchell McGraa, the man who was to be targeted on May 11, is linked to the Ford OCG. On May 11 he was in possession of drugs and was travelling with Ford. That was the motive, the prosecution say, for him being targeted.”

The Byrnes and Smith were said to have been seen on CCTV leaving the address in Cross Hey Avenue before being nabbed in nearby Avelon Close, where James Byrne – described as “the man at the front” – could be seen “pointing the way” and “showing the way forward”. Six cartridge cases were found outside the club following the shooting.

Mr McGraa was subsequently admitted to Arrowe Park Hospital with a 1cm entry wound to the back of his thigh. He later underwent surgery to remove a bullet which had become lodged in his leg.

Police reviewed video footage from the scene and noticed that Mr McGraa had hidden a bag in the bushes prior to the incident. When officers discovered it, they found several packets of cocaine inside.

Following the incident, Byrnes and Smith were allegedly filmed walking back to their Cross Hey Avenue property after “hiding their bikes elsewhere”. They were never found by Merseyside Police.

At around 11pm that evening, Smith and James Byrne allegedly took a taxi to their respective homes in Newark Close, Woodchurch and Thorburn Road, New Ferry. The defendants gave their telephone numbers the following day.

Smith was subsequently arrested on May 14 and, under questioning, gave a prepared statement claiming he had “no knowledge or involvement” in the attack and had not been to the Beechwood estate “for at least a year”. Curtis Byrne was arrested when police officers entered Cross Hey Avenue on May 19 and was seen jumping out of a bedroom window wearing shorts.

He then “attempted to run away” but was caught after falling and made no comment during subsequent questioning. James Byrne was interviewed by detectives on July 27 last year, “but exercised his right to remain silent throughout”.

Mr Langhorn added: “We say that when they set off from Cross Hey Avenue armed with a firearm shortly after 10am, they intended not only to endanger Mitchell McGraa's life but to kill him. We say this was a mob from Woodchurch chasing someone from Ford.”

Trevor Parry-Jones, Curtis Byrne's defence lawyer, told the court today: “He is described as immature and susceptible to peer pressure. His immaturity was undoubtedly not helped by the fact that he had a completely inadequate upbringing.”

“In his early years, he witnessed domestic violence against his mother. This ended with the death of his father. Unfortunately, his mother did not intervene and he was left virtually on his own, on the streets. There was no guidance at all.

“It is clear to him that he must leave the area. It will take considerable work to get him on the right path.”

Paul Lazarus, representing James Byrne, added: “I would respectfully note that, having regard to the criteria, it is not justified in this case to impose a life sentence for the following reasons: the relative age of the accused at the time, the lack of convictions for violence, the likely length of the sentence in a structured prison environment with access to education and rehabilitation.

“He will be well into his 30s before release on parole or probation is considered. There appear to be some encouraging prospects that James Byrne's maturity is increasing and the risk of him reoffending is decreasing.

“His childhood was traumatic. His family was homeless several times. His parents were drug addicts and he was unfortunately placed in foster care. He was physically abused and neglected, and the youth welfare office found injuries and burns.

“He lost his uncle in a car accident and his father was murdered when he was ten years old. This was the second loss of a father figure at such a young age. His mental health problems seem to stem from this traumatic childhood.”

The brothers appeared via video link at HMP Liverpool, with James Byrne wearing a dark grey puffer coat and Curtis Byrne wearing a light grey Monterrain tracksuit. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years and eight months.

Passing sentence, Judge Garrett Byrne said: “These offences were committed against the backdrop of a long-standing feud between two gangs in Wirral. These gangs were highly territorial, with one based in Woodchurch and the other in the Ford estate.

“I am convinced and certain that this dispute arose from rivalries between gangs relating to the trafficking of illegal drugs in this part of the county of Wirral and further afield. The offences were the latest in a series of retaliatory incidents involving mutual acts of violence. Both gangs were willing to engage in reckless street violence with little regard for the safety of others.

“Whether he was the intended target or whether the defendants intended to kill any member of the rival gang they happened to encounter is not entirely clear. Either way, Mr McGraa was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Although it was James Byrne who fired the weapon, both defendants were active participants in this attack. It was clear that you both acted with murderous intent.

“The background of a gang war is an extremely aggravating circumstance in this case. It was a revenge attack, part of a campaign of violence.”

“Although the defendants have previous convictions, these do not include violent crimes. However, there are no particularly compelling mitigating circumstances.

“I take into account the difficult backgrounds of the defendants. I also take into account the relatively young age of the defendants. However, any reduction in sentence must be modest due to the defendants' dedication to a criminal lifestyle.

“This is a very serious offence involving an attempt to shoot another young man and there are good reasons to believe that you both pose a serious danger to the public which cannot be reliably assessed at this time. This is one of those exceptional cases where a life sentence should be imposed.”