A killer who joined a murderous attack on his own cousin and then helped try and burn his body tried to appeal his conviction seven years later.
Ruben Hoather, then 22, "tortured and terrorised" 17-year-old Jordan Campbell at a flat in Tickle Avenue in Parr, St Helens, on January 1, 2015. He had only been released from prison the previous day after being convicted of headbutting a former girlfriend.
The helpless Jordan was subjected to a brutal beating by Hoather and his fellow killers, Daniel Wiltshire and Anthony Wood, before Wiltshire stabbed him in the back causing his death.
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The three men then dragged Jordan's body into a bedroom, covered it in clothing and tried to set it alight before fleeing the flat. Wiltshire, of Newton-le-Willows, and Hoather did not try and cover their tracks for long.
Back in July, 2015, Liverpool Crown Court heard how they taunted the police in the hours that followed, with Wiltshire telling a 999 operator he had “a massive big butcher’s knife that I stabbed the kid with,” and boasting that there was “two murderers on the loose.”
He was reported to have giggled and said “I’m not arsed” after being arrested. Both Hoather and Wiltshire pleaded guilty to Jordan's murder but Wood, from Thatto Heath, denied he was involved in the attack. He was convicted of murder after a trial.
Sentencing the three men, trial judge Mr Justice Kerr said: "The defendants showed him no mercy. Daniel Wiltshire stabbed Jordan fatally in the back, causing him to collapse and die within a few minutes.
“But all three defendants were in it together. They tortured and terrorised Jordan before they killed him. They dragged him from where he lay bleeding to death, dumped him on the floor and set fire to his body and head using torn clothing, attempting to burn the body and the flat to destroy evidence of the crime.”
Despite his guilty plea, Hoather tried to bring an appeal against the advice of his own legal team late last year, on the basis that he was guilty of manslaughter rather than murder under the "joint enterprise" legal precedent established by the case of Jogee in 2015.
However, Lady Justice Whipple, sitting in the Court of Appeal, has now dismissed his application noting there was no compelling reason to allow an extension of time to bring the appeal.
Hoather had argued he was only now "mentally stable" enough to appeal, although he had sought advice on doing so in 2017 when he was told by his own lawyers there was "no realistic prospect" of success.
Justice Whipple said even if she had allowed an extension of time, she agreed there was no prospect of success. In a written ruling, she stated: "We have considered very carefully whether there could be any cogent argument on the facts of this case that the applicant lacked the intention necessary for murder, following the change of the law in Jogee.
"We do not think there could be any such argument. The applicant participated in this group violence, which involved taunting, abusing and torturing Mr Campbell over a period of time. Further, he stayed with the group during and after the knife was produced and used. He helped to move Mr Campbell's body to the next bedroom; he participated in setting fire to it, and in trying to set fire to the flat after Mr Campbell had died. These actions show that he was acting together with the other two for the whole enterprise and that he possessed an intention at least to cause Mr Campbell really serious harm.
"We conclude that the murder conviction is amply justified. The contrary is not realistically arguable."
During the original trial and sentencing no motive was established for the savage attack. The killers had been hosting a party at Hoather's flat to celebrate his release from prison and the New Year.
However detectives described it as "volatile", with witnesses reporting how cocaine was taken freely and how Hoather and Wiltshire were seen brandishing knives.
Jordan had been celebrating the New Year at the home of a family friend in Haydock, but was called by Hoather in the early hours and agreed to attend the party. He last spoke to his mum at 9am on January 1, where he sounded as if he was "having a good time". The attack was believed to have followed shortly after.
In his trial, Wood claimed Wiltshire "went mental" after Hoather told him Jordan was a "nonce", which was found to be a lie. Wood claimed he had tried to protect Jordan, but the jury heard DNA from all three men was discovered on the murder weapon.
Wiltshire and Wood were jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years, while Hoather received a minimum term of 19 years.
Speaking outside court after the sentencing in 2015, Jordan’s mum, Kerry Birch, said: “No sentence will ever bring our Jordan back but I do think now we can start to come to terms with what happened to him.
“He was a lovely lad who will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him, and he did not deserve anything what happened to him.”
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