These are the latest Liverpool ECHO headlines this morning.
Brother and sister who 'hunted and killed man' lose murder appeal
A brother and sister who gathered two friends and set off to hunt down and kill a man after a row over text messages lost an appeal against their murder convictions.
Siblings Aaron and Melissa Stubbs vowed to teach Melissa's ex-boyfriend, Warren Glover, "a lesson" after Mr Glover sent abusive and threatening messages to her and their parents when she told him they could not resume their relationship. Aaron Stubbs also recruited two friends, Stephen Strutt and Peter Walker, to join them and the gang-of-four set off from their home in Manchester and drove to St Helens to look for Mr Glover, even stopping for beers on the way.
The 33-year-old was found unconscious in French Street, St Helens at around 10.15pm, on June 13, 2020, and died from a catastrophic brain injury three weeks later in hospital. Melissa Stubbs, then 30, Aaron Stubbs, also 30, their friend Strutt, 39, and Strutt's brother-in-law Walker, 31, were later charged with "joint enterprise" murder and convicted after a six week trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
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They denied arming themselves with weapons to attack Mr Glover - with Aaron insisting he just intended to "confront" him and expected an apology. But the siblings' mum, Gail Duff, had texted Melissa saying "Aaron's gonna go down and kill him" and texted Mr Glover: "Prepare to meet your maker."
An eyewitness, Andrew Carney, saw what happened and a few days later told police Mr Glover had prepared for the impending attack by arming himself with a lump hammer, which he used to attack their car when they arrived in St Helens. Read more here.
Pervert used secret camera to spy on teenage girl for 'sexual gratification'
A pervert used a hidden camera to spy on a teenage girl and stream live video of her to his mobile phone.
Simon Tunstall, 45, set up the camera, which sent moving images of the girl to his mobile phone for approximately four weeks in May 2019. He initially denied the offences but later pleaded guilty to voyeurism and the production of indecent images of a child.
After being arrested, Tunstall's mobile phone was searched and a link to a camera was found, as well as four images of the girl in various states of undress. Tunstall, of Fleet Lane, St Helens, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday (November 11).
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Prosecuting, Cheryl Mottram said Tunstall admitted he set up the camera after he was caught but denied it was for his sexual gratification. He initially pleaded not guilty to the offences but later changed his plea.
An impact statement from the victim was read to the court. It said Tunstall's acts "traumatised" her, and meant she has been "constantly on edge" since. The victim attempted to end her life due to depression she suffered after the incident.
She said: "I don't think I'll ever recover from the problems that Simon's actions have caused me". The statement continued: "I never wanted to be a victim but Simon has made me one". Read the full story here.
Man's £1.4m fraud scam funded 52 holidays in nine years and Premier League match trips
A fraudster enjoyed 52 holidays in nine years and spent £30k on his golf hobby thanks to swindling more than £1m from tax authorities.
Nicholas Duffy, 59, made false VAT repayment claims through his company Market Mobility, which specialised in mobility aids.
Duffy, from Worcester Road, Bootle, claimed nearly £1.4 million from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over a nine-year period from 2010 to 2019, with the money being used to fund his love of holidays, football and golf.
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Duffy took 52 holidays in nine years, including eight visits to New York, and he made eight trips to Europe in 2016. He also spent more than £30,000 on golf, £27,000 on jewellery and £17,000 on tickets to Everton and Manchester United football games.
An examination of Market Mobility's accounts revealed it was simply a vehicle for fraud. The company never genuinely traded and Duffy was listing non-existent sales and purchases to make fraudulent VAT repayment claims.
In his defence, Duffy claimed he needed the money because he was being pursued by loan sharks over his spiralling gambling debts. However, this only accounted for around £200,000 from the overall figure of £1,395,994 he falsely claimed in VAT repayments. Read more here.
