Liam McElvaney, aged 23, has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for a shooting attack near Middlesbrough in April 2024. The attack was carried out as an act of revenge following a machete home invasion targeting his then-girlfriend.
McElvaney was joined by two teenage accomplices when he shot a rival’s father in the abdomen. The victim’s life was nearly lost due to the severity of the assault. Emergency surgery at James Cook University Hospital saved the man, the Teesside Crown Court heard.
The court was told that McElvaney planned the retaliatory attack after men armed with machetes broke into his girlfriend’s home on 31 March 2024. During that incident, McElvaney was hiding under a child’s bed. He then recruited others to help carry out his violent revenge, including 16-year-old Jayden Woodley from West Auckland and 17-year-old Wayne Narey from Middlesbrough.
In the early hours of 1 April, the victim was lured to his home on Richmond Court by a knock at the door or window. McElvaney then fired a .410 gauge shotgun through the window, hitting the man in the stomach. The victim required multiple surgeries, including the removal of two parts of his small bowel and his gall bladder, and spent five weeks in hospital recovering.
Just 45 minutes after the shooting, McElvaney boasted about the attack in messages. Police quickly identified the offenders using CCTV footage and phone location data from Narey’s mobile phone. Videos found on Narey’s phone showed homemade firearms, known as slam guns.
While in custody, McElvaney wrote rap lyrics bragging about the shooting. He also sent a letter asking associates to offer the victim £5,000 to withdraw his evidence. McElvaney admitted charges including grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and perverting the course of justice.
Sentencing for the accomplices saw Narey receive a nine-year sentence at a young offender institution, while Woodley was jailed for six years and three months. Judge Francis Laird KC described McElvaney as the clear ringleader behind a “significant degree of planning.” The judge also noted the vulnerability of the two teenagers involved in the attack.
Originally published by UKNIP.
