Revisiting the tragic 2013 murder of Sean McHugh by the Lane Heads gang and the legal aftermath, including appeals.
The murder revealed a gang issue. It involved the “Lane Heads” in Anfield. Sean was only nineteen. The attack occurred on September 30, 2013. He was doing laundry on Priory Road.
The gang cornered him there. His friend sought help nearby. A woman called 999 for the police. She reported the chaos at the launderette. Sean locked himself in a back room.
The gang broke down the door. They had weapons hidden nearby. One weapon was a swordstick. They stabbed Sean’s leg. He escaped but soon collapsed.
Police found Sean in an alley. He died in the hospital after four days. This case highlights a violent gang dispute. It tragically ended Sean’s young life.
The court sentenced the five teens in 2014. Reese O’Shaughnessy was the leader. Andrew and Corey Hewitt were cousins. Joseph McGill and Keyfer Dykstra were also involved.
O’Shaughnessy got life in prison. He must serve eighteen years minimum. The judge deemed it a “truly wicked crime.” The younger boys went to secure units.
Dykstra got a minimum of twelve years. Hewitt received a minimum of nine. McGill received a minimum of eight years. Corey got a minimum six year sentence.
Judge Goldstone called them “enthusiastic” gang members. They belonged to the “Lane Heads”. The gang linked to Townsend Lane. The murder was a revenge attack.
Dykstra had been stabbed earlier. A rival gang, “Walton Village Heads,” did it. The killers thought Sean linked to that gang. They called him a “Walton rat”.
None of them showed remorse at first. Judge Goldstone questioned their regret. He said it might be about getting caught. True sorrow would have come sooner.
Sean’s mom spoke about graffiti. The graffiti mocked her son’s death. She described the gangs as horrible. She called them scum and wanted action.
Sean was studying bricklaying. He loved motorbikes and fishing. His mom said he always smiled. Over 1,000 people attended his funeral.
McGill and the Hewitts appealed their convictions in 2017. They argued their convictions felt “unsafe.” Their lawyers cited changes to the law. The Court of Appeal rejected their claims.
The judges saw no injustice in the verdicts. They also rejected the claim of an unfair trial setting. The court also deemed the sentences appropriate.
This was gang violence in Liverpool. The victim was hunted and cornered. Weapons were used in the attack. They posed a risk and the sentences reflected this.
The case was in an ITV documentary in 2018. It was titled ‘Inside the Court of Appeal’. It showed both families’ experiences.