A mum described her heartbreak after her ‘soul mate’ was shot dead when she was nine weeks pregnant with their child.
Ashleigh Deans was texting Patrick Boyle just 25 minutes before he was shot twice in the chest outside someone’s home in Huyton on July 21 2021. He was shot twice by Rueben Murphy, 26, formerly of Barkbeth Road in Huyton who planned and organised the attack with Ben Doyle, 24 from Lyme Grove in Huyton.
Patrick’s partner Ashleigh told Liverpool Crown Court that the last text message he sent her said ‘he would be home soon’.
READ MORE: Live updates as killer Rueben Murphy to be sentenced for murder
Ashleigh told the court: “Me and Paddy had only been together 14 months when he died but it felt like an eternity. The day we met we had an instant connection. It really was ‘love at first sight”
The two met in May 2020, moved in together in January 2021 and started planning their future together.
The ward manager at Royal Liverpool Hospital said: “Paddy was like no one I have ever met before. He was a big gentle giant with a heart of gold. He was the most loving, caring, funny and sentimental person.
“He was one of a kind – always with a cheeky smile on his face and he gave the best cuddles. He really did make me the happiest girl in the world.”
Ashleigh explained how her “whole world shattered into a million pieces” the day her partner died. She explained she went for a nap and expected to wake up to her ‘best friend’. Instead, she woke up to someone banging on her windows and doors.
Ashleigh told the Crown Court: "The 1 st of July 2021, my whole world was shattered into a million pieces. It started off a normal day.
“We gave each other a hug and kiss and said ‘love you’, then I left for work. That was the last time I saw him alive. f I’d known this I would have never let him go.
“The last text I got off him was 5.30pm telling me he would be home soon. I told him I was having a nap after work, I was then woken up to all this banging on the windows and door. It was Paddy’s mate telling me something had happened and that Paddy had been in an accident.
“He then told me that Paddy had been shot. My head started spinning.”
Ashleigh picked up Patrick’s father on the way to Whiston Hospital where they were told Patrick had died.
She said: “My whole world shattered into a million pieces because of these two people here who took him from me.”
The then mum-to-be had to call his mum, brother, sister, and the rest of his family in Ireland to tell them Patrick had died.
The 26-year-old was killed four days before his 27th Birthday. The pair were supposed to go on holiday to Cornwall.
The couple were waiting for their 12-week scan before telling their family because they had a miscarriage in March 2021.
Ashleigh said: “Instead of celebrating his birthday on July 5 I was visiting him in the morgue with his birthday cards.
“I was nine weeks pregnant when Paddy was killed by these evil people. We were both so excited to be a little family and were excited for our first scan so we could tell our families our happy news. All this didn’t happen because of the two defendants.
“He never got to go to our first scan or got to find out what we were having or be at the birth. I was in constant fear that something was going to happen to our baby because of previously miscarrying.
“Some days I couldn’t get out of bed or didn’t eat because I just couldn’t face it, I was numb, I just wanted my Paddy back, it wasn’t meant to be like this.
“They have robbed our son of ever meeting his amazing daddy, us both of our future as a family and memories, no photographs to show him when he’s older of us together as a family."
Ashleigh explained how she now must pay nearly £2,000 to put Patrick’s name on their baby’s birth certificate because he was killed before the baby was born.
She told the court: “He’s only got me now; I’ve got to be his mum and his dad. I actually fear for him growing up without his dad and in Liverpool.
“How am I supposed to explain this to when he’s older, how can anyone explain this? “ I didn’t just lose my boyfriend on the 1 st of July 2021, but my best friend and soul mate too. Paddy was my safe place and biggest adventure. He was taken far too soon.”
Judge Morris jailed Murphy and told him he will serve life in prison with a minimum of 31 years before he will be eligible to apply for Parole. Doyle, of Lyme Grove in Huyton, was jailed for life with a 27-year minimum term.
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