Son was asleep in bed when hail of bullets came flying into his bedroom

28 February 2024 , 21:27

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Reece Martin and Anthony Milton, both 19, unleashed a hail of bullets during the terrifying attack in the West Derby suburb of Liverpool last year (Image: MEN MEDIA)

A pair of teens have been jailed after they opened fire on a family home while people were sleeping inside.

Reece Martin and Anthony Milton, both 19, unleashed a hail of bullets during the terrifying attack in the West Derby suburb of Liverpool last year. One of them missed the sleeping son's head "by 2ft", a court was told. It followed an ongoing "vendetta" between groups of men in the area, which had been sparked by a vicious stabbing and also saw a pub gutted by fire.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday that the occupant of the detached home, Joanne Maclean, was woken at around 8.15am on October 19 by a "loud bang", followed by a second bang and the sound of glass smashing. Lee Bonner, prosecuting, described how she realised that the property was being shot at and "jumped out of bed", at which point she "heard more bangs".

Ms Maclean then called out to her son Michael, who shouted back to say that his bedroom window had been damaged, reported the Echo. She told him to "stay down and not move" before she heard a vehicle driving off at speed.

Mr Bonner said that "various bullet holes" were left in the walls of the address, with one becoming lodged within a framed Liverpool FC shirt which had been hanging in Mr Maclean's bedroom. Another bullet was found in a shower tray, having travelled through the window and then through the wall of the son's bedroom and into the adjacent bathroom.

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This shot was said to have missed his head by a matter of metres. Investigations subsequently revealed that a 9mm Luger bullet casing recovered at the scene had been fired from a Glock self-loading pistol. Four other cartridges were discovered at the scene, including in the front garden.

Reece Martin, 19, has been jailed over the incident (MEN Media)

The court was told the men had travelled to the scene on a stolen motorbike at around 08.20am before beginning the shooting. Shaun Maclean, Ms Maclean's former partner and 21-year-old Michael's dad, told detectives that he believed that a man called Lewis Redcliffe was "behind the shooting, following issues with his son" Adam Maclean - the owner of the Lobster pub in Croxteth.

Another male, Benjamin Fitzsimmons, had stabbed the landlord of this premises in June 2023, after which threats were made that the establishment would be "burned down" if he was jailed over the attack. Sentencing, Judge Denis Watson KC said: "The facts of this offence are, in my judgement, particularly serious. Five shots were fired from a Glock handgun into the home of Mrs Joanne Maclean and her son, a detached family home in a residential area in West Derby close to Queens Drive. One of the bullets went through Mr Maclean's bedroom window, through a wall and into a bathroom. Another went through a displayed football shirt on his wall. He was in bed at the time."

Martin and Milton appeared to be laughing and joking with one another in dock, and the judge paused his sentencing remarks to say: "Do you find this funny? Do you find it funny? Why were you laughing? Is it funny to hear what you did read back to you?" The defendants remained silent, and Judge Watson continued: "If that wasn't serious enough, the background is a seriously aggravating feature.

Anthony Milton, also 19, helped unleash a barrage of bullets at the family home last year and was jailed (MEN Media)

"Three days after the sentencing of Mr Fitzsimmons, against a background of threats that the pub would be burned down, there was a fire at the pub and it was burned down. That, it seems, was not sufficient. There were also threats that the house would be shot at and Mr Maclean would be shot at. Three days later, you two carried out this attack on the family home. It was a highly dangerous and outrageous attack.

"Mr Maclean, no doubt with commendable bravery, wishes to emphasise that you and those you were working with have not won. I have no doubt that, for those present, it will live with them for a number of years. You are both still 19. Both of you have further difficulties, and this does have some further impact on your maturity and decision making.

"You chose to be part of a vendetta against someone who chose to stand up for their employee, whose faced had been slashed. You equipped yourself with a firearm and ammunition and set out for the Macleans' home. In broad daylight, you fired five shots into the occupants' house. It is by chance that no one was injured or killed."

Both men received 12 years in prison plus an additional five years on licence, and were handed handed restraining orders banning them from contacting the Macleans indefinitely. Martin shouted "fat nonce" as he was being led down to the cells - and Judge Watson ordered that he be brought back into court as a result.

Bullets were found in multiple parts of the house and garden following the attack (Liverpool Echo)

The judge then said: "Having passed sentence, as Mr Martin was being taken down, he felt it appropriate or necessary to shout out 'nonce' as he left which, on the face of it, would have to be considered as being directed at me. Shouting out abuse in court is a contempt of court. Where there is contempt of court, if it is sufficiently serious, there can be an additional prison sentence up to two years."

Mr Tully said of his client: "He wishes to apologise for his outburst. It is set against the background of a man with some issues. The unfortunate situation is that he has been in custody since November last year and, unfortunately, he has not received the medication he had previously been prescribed. When dealing with issues when he is under pressure or stress, the issues are magnified by the fact that he has not taken any medication." Judge Watson then invited Martin to address the court, at which point he said "sorry for the words I made". The judge ultimately opted not to take contempt of court proceedings, and replied: "Thank you, you can go down."

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Detective Inspector John Mullen, of Merseyside Police's firearms investigation team, said following the sentencing: "Today’s sentencing removes two dangerous people from the community and should serve as a strong warning to anyone who would look to get involved in gun crime. To carry and use a gun can and will ruin lives, both of the victims and those offenders who make such a choice. In this case, the sheer recklessness of firing a weapon at a home is clear to see. We have tragically seen such incidents result in serious injuries and death in the past, and it is through luck alone that this was not the case in October.

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas