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3 men sentenced for the
murder of 16 year old, Lewis Dunne
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Photo above is Lewis Dunne, supplied by Merseyside Police.
ON Wednesday, 16 November 2016, Jake
Culshaw, Paul Martin and John Martin have been sentenced for the murder of 16
year old, Lewis Dunne. Lewis died on 15 November 2015, after being shot as he
walked along the towpath of the Leeds/Liverpool Canal in Vauxhall.
Following the sentencing Lewis' parents, Gemma
and Steven, released this statement:- "Our beautiful son Lewis was
senselessly murdered on November of last year. Lewis was the baby of the family,
the centre of our world; he spread love to everyone he met and those who loved
him back got the fortune of knowing just how amazing he was. This has been an
exceptionally difficult time for our family and we are relieved that justice has
been done. We have had a great deal of support from the community and Merseyside
Police, especially Detective Superintendent Tom Keaton and the investigation
team. We are very grateful for their hard work which has got us to where we are
today."
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Detective Superintendent Keaton, said:-
"Firstly, we'd like to express our deepest sympathy to Lewis' mum and dad (Gemma
and Steven) and sisters (Yasmin and Ashley) who are still struggling to come to
terms with the tragic loss of their son and brother. Since that tragic night on
15 November 2015, they have suffered immeasurable grief and distress for the
senseless murder of Lewis, who was just 16 years old. Now Jake Culshaw, Paul
Martin and John Martin have been convicted of his murder after they shot him in
the back as he was walking along the tow path of the Leeds Liverpool Canal in
Vauxhall. At about 10.30pm Lewis had popped out to meet a friend, who was going
to let him use his bike to ride into town and get some cigarettes, but he never
returned home. After shooting him in cold blood the three people convicted of
his murder, calmly left the scene and further down the canal threw the murder
weapon, which had been broken up, into the canal in a bid to get rid of the
evidence; the parts of that shotgun were recovered by the Police underwater
search team in January 2016 following an extensive search of the canal between
Sandhill Lane road bridge and the railway bridge. As the offenders disposed of
the weapon a member of the public, who had been walking nearby, and some local
residents rushed to Lewis' aid and tried to help him prior to the arrival of the
ambulance service. But unfortunately the attempts of the members of the public
and the medics were to no avail and Lewis was pronounced dead at the Royal
Liverpool University Hospital at 11.37pm. We believe that Lewis was a victim of
mistaken identity and that those convicted today believed that he was the member
of an opposing group of males. Prior to the murder there had been a series of
incidents involving both groups, culminating in violent attacks from both sides,
using a multitude of weapons. The cowardly murder of Lewis was their
retribution. We know 4 offenders lay in wait under the Vauxhall / Eldonian
Bridge on the tow path and when they saw Lewis they believed he was 1 of the
group and shot him in the back as he walked by. Ultimately nothing can bring
Lewis back, but we hope the family can take some small comfort in the fact that
justice has been served. The investigation team and the Crown Prosecution
Service have worked tirelessly over the past 11 months to bring this case to
court and I would like to thank the prosecuting barristers Ian Unsworth QC and
Anya Horwood for their dedication and exceptional presentation of the evidence
during the trial. These convictions are the result of a collective determination
to bring the killers to justice. But our work doesn't end here. We believe that
there were four people who were involved in Lewis' murder and we are determined
to find that fourth male. I would appeal to anyone who knows who the 4th male
was to contact us so that we can do the right thing by Lewis' family and ensure
that all those responsible for the murder are brought to justice. Gun crime has
very clear, serious and often tragic consequences. We cannot allow children to
fear walking the streets because others don't have the intelligence or common
sense to steer clear of guns. We will therefore do everything in our power to
continue to take guns off the streets and out of the hands of criminals. The
rest of the criminal justice system is equally committed to gripping gang and
gun crime; which is a concern for the UK as a whole not just Merseyside."
► Jake Culshaw was sentenced to life with a 30 year
tariff.
► Paul Martin was sentenced to life with a 30 year
tariff.
► John Martin was sentenced to life with a 28 year
tariff.
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