Life Sentences Handed Down for Fatal Shooting Stemming from £60 Debt Dispute

A perpetrator who fatally shot a 19-year-old following an argument over £60 has been given a life sentence. Nyle Corrigan, 19, sustained a single gunshot wound from a 9mm Glock handgun while riding his electric bicycle in Stockbridge Village, Merseyside, on November 12, 2020. The shooter, Martin Wilson, and his accomplice Connor Smith, were each sentenced to a minimum of 32 years for murder and associated firearms offences. A third individual, Jamie Coggins, received a four-year prison term at Liverpool Crown Court after being found guilty of assisting an offender by helping Smith conceal himself after the shooting. Wilson, 37, and Smith, 26, shot Mr Corrigan and subsequently absconded with his electric bike as he lay dying. Judge Mr Justice Goose, delivering the sentence at the conclusion of the six-week trial, stated: “The murder of Nyle Corrigan, who was only 19 when he was killed, has caused his family and those who knew him well profound grief, while the shooting itself caused the local community great shock.” A palpable tension was present in the courtroom between members of the victim’s family and friends and relatives of the defendants. Following the shooting, Smith, who identified himself in court as a “kilo quantity” dealer of heroin, fled to Spain. The court heard he had hidden in an apartment with Coggins, who also described himself on the witness stand as a “significant” cannabis dealer, for approximately two weeks before departing Merseyside. Wilson’s criminal record included prior convictions for drug supply and burglary – notably a 2007 raid on the residence of former Liverpool FC footballer Steven Gerrard, during which he threatened to abduct the star’s children. Smith remained at large for years before voluntarily returning to the UK in 2023 – a decision the judge suggested might have been influenced by the release of other suspects without charge. The jury had learned that animosity began to escalate between Wilson and Mr Corrigan’s family after the teenager had a dispute with Liam Cohen, an acquaintance of Wilson’s, concerning a £60 debt Mr Corrigan believed was owed to him. When Mr Corrigan exchanged insults with Mr Cohen’s partner via Facebook, Wilson reportedly became “incensed” and resolved to “teach him a lesson.” “Nyle Corrigan had shown disrespect and that was not to go unpunished,” Mr Justice Goose informed the defendants. Testimony presented to the court indicated that on the day preceding the shooting, a group of men, including Wilson, had appeared at Mr Corrigan’s family home in Stockbridge Village. They demanded to know his whereabouts and issued threats to his mother, Lesley Kelly, asserting that her son was “dead.” The jury had viewed CCTV footage depicting Wilson purchasing two pairs of black gloves, two black hats, and two face masks from a shop in Huyton, while Smith waited in a vehicle outside. The firearm used in the murder was eventually recovered during an unrelated police operation approximately two years following the incident. Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Cath Cummings, who led the investigation, described it as a “disgrace” that such a trivial disagreement led to murder. “It was a 19-year-old young male, the rest of his life ahead of him,” she remarked. “We’ve seen unfortunately with tragic events over recent years people that use firearms, other people get hurt.” She further emphasized the importance of their efforts: “It was really, really important for us… to remove these people from the street because they were intent of causing harm amongst themselves with their own disputes… which then unfortunately do transfer over into the communities.” An associate of the convicted individuals, Anthony Llewelyn, was acquitted of murder, while Smith’s parents, Melanie Smith and Mark Sharpe, were exonerated of charges for assisting an offender. For further content, listeners can access BBC Radio Merseyside via Sounds and engage with BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story suggestions may be submitted to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the material on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.