This Week in Court: Attempted murder charges against Patrick Lacey and Bernard Flynn were unexpectedly dropped before they were due to stand trial
Patrick Lacey in action during his time at Chester FC
Patrick Lacey in action during his time at Chester FC(Image: Rick Matthews/Chester Football Club)
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It was Friday afternoon in the opening throes of autumn, and Patrick Lacey and Bernard Flynn walked out of Walton prison with beaming smiles on their faces, clutching their belongings in bin bags and holdalls. After spending the whole summer behind bars, pictures which were widely circulated on social media showed the former, an ex-professional footballer who came through Liverpool FC's academy, with his arms aloft in celebration, relief and, perhaps, surprise.
It capped a remarkable and surreal day for Lacey, who only that morning had been running a charity marathon within the grounds of HMP Liverpool, apparently completely unaware he was due to appear in court the very same afternoon. Indeed, the case had not appeared on any publicly published lists for Liverpool Crown Court, although it is unclear whether the hearing was held before another court centre.
A source has told the ECHO that Lacey was only informed of his impending court date midway through his 26-mile run, with the news having apparently distracted him somewhat and caused his pace in the remainder of the race to drop off significantly.
But, in more positive news for the ex-Accrington Stanley striker and professional boxer, last month's surprise hearing ultimately resulted in charges against both him and Flynn being dropped by the prosecution, resulting in both being freed from jail, where they had been held on remand since they were originally charged in February this year, later the same day.
Lacey was subsequently said to have remarked "it was the best day of his life, because he'd run a marathon and been freed from prison". Only hours earlier, he had still been facing the very real prospect of life behind bars, the sentence that may well have followed, had he been convicted of the attempted murder and conspiracy to murder counts which he was charged with in connection with a shooting on Radway Road in Huyton in November last year.
This unexpected turn left two defendants, John Hughes and John Jones, remaining to face the jury, which has been ongoing at the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts over the past fortnight. However, even in their cases, the alleged offences were dropped to the lesser charge of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, which carries a maximum term of 10 years.
John Hughes pictured when he was jailed previously in 2020
John Hughes pictured when he was jailed previously in 2020(Image: Merseyside Police)
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Cleared defendant's DNA found on shotgun
Both Lacey and Flynn would be referenced throughout the trial, with the former said to have been in communication with the intended target of the shooting, Jordan Thompson, also known as "Dusty", in the hours beforehand before apparently driving Hughes and Jones to the vicinity of the attack.
The latter's DNA was meanwhile detected on the internal fore end of the sawn-off shotgun used to blast the innocent victim, Leejay Heavey, in the legs, he having also been present in the van which transported the shooters to the scene.
Some professionals close to the case maintain that they have no idea of the reasoning behind the decision to drop the charges against Lacey and Flynn and soften those faced by Hughes and Jones. Prosecution sources have meanwhile remained tight lipped on the matter.
Jurors heard during the trial that Jones and Hughes had been riding a Sur-ron e-bike when they fired two rounds from a sawn-off shotgun in the direction of a man named Leejay Heavey after "asking if he was Dusty" and "if he'd come out of Dusty's house" on the evening of November 28 2025. However, Alex Leach KC, prosecuting, told the court that shooting this innocent victim "had not been their intended plan", which had instead been to "intimidate Jordan Thompson".
Mr Heavey, described as being "in the wrong place at the wrong time" and "having nothing to do with" Dusty, was struck in the lower leg as a result of the firearms discharge, resulting in pellets becoming lodged in his bones and one of his calf muscles being surgically removed. Jones and Hughes meanwhile fled the scene on the motorbike, resulting in a police chase which saw them hurriedly ditch the Beretta double-barreled 12 gauge shotgun in the car park of the Oak Tree pub.
Police at the Oak Tree pub in Huyton following the shooting on Radway Road
Police at the Oak Tree pub in Huyton following a shooting on Radway Road(Image: Liverpool ECHO)
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Guilty men fist bumped as they were convicted
In his evidence, Jones claimed he had been “seeing a girl and doing a drugs run” at the time of the shooting. Asked by his counsel Gordon Cole KC whether he had any involvement in the incident, he replied: "I was never on an e-bike. I can't drive."
Hughes, who was represented by Richard Littler KC, meanwhile told the court he had been in Nottingham when Mr Heavey was shot, as well as maintaining he had been friends with Dusty. The prosecution alleged he had fled Merseyside for Nottinghamshire the day after the shooting before being arrested in the East Midlands city on December 1, with his phone having been found snapped in two and one half of the device dunked into a bowl of soup.
Jones and Hughes were ultimately convicted of the firearms offence on Thursday afternoon, having exchanged a fist bump in the dock as the verdicts were returned. They will return to court to be sentenced next week.
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The ECHO contacted the Crown Prosecution Service for comment regarding its decision to withdraw charges completely against Lacey and Flynn and to drop the counts of attempted murder and conspiracy to murder in relation to Hughes and Jones. However, no response had been received at the time of publication.
Lacey began his career with Tranmere Rovers before joining Manchester United and LFC's academies, later playing for Altrincham, Barrow, Accrington Stanley, Southport, Chester and Warrington Rylands. The 33-year-old's sporting career also saw him fight professionally as a boxer, most recently featuring in a bout at the M&S Bank Arena in February this year.