A man who was shot in the knee by a young boy during a shooting outside a supermarket started carrying a toy gun.
Michael Costello was taken to Liverpool Crown Court this week after firefighters spotted him pulling an imitation firearm from his trousers during an argument at the Western Approaches pub in Croxteth. He was later forced into a taxi and told the driver he was “belted up” before throwing the fake gun into his ex-partner’s bathroom.
The ECHO previously reported that the 35-year-old attacker, of Knighton Road in Walton, fell victim after gunman Joel Harvey, then 16, opened fire with a pistol in a “revenge” attack on Prescot Road in Old Swan. The teenager was later linked to a second incident just a few weeks later in Broadgreen in which another man was shot in the chest.
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Harvey, of Lindisfarne Drive, was heard at a hearing. CroxtethHe shot Costello with a Grand Power G9A self-loading pistol in the early hours of December 11, 2021. Prosecutor Henry Riding told how the teenager got into an Alpha taxi from Baden Road. old swan, He went to where he was staying with his grandmother, One Stop on Prescot Road, at around 2.30pm and then returned again.
During this visit, security camera footage of both parties outside the shop was recorded. Costello remained in the area shortly after 3 a.m. when he was approached by two males riding an e-bike, wearing dark clothing and their faces covered.
It was at this point that Harvey, who had hired an accomplice to drive him to the scene after returning to his grandmother’s house to retrieve the gun, fired three shots and hit his target twice. Costello suffered a fractured left kneecap, another bullet passed through his right thigh, and he required surgery on both legs.
The shooting was suspected to have been carried out in “revenge or retaliation” for a previous attack on Costello or due to a “pre-existing grudge”. The same gun was then used to shoot Lewis Cottage, aged in his 20s, on the Green at Broadgreen at around 9pm on January 16, 2022.
He was admitted to the Royal Liverpool Hospital that evening after suffering gunshot wounds to his chest and arms. Harvey’s DNA was found on one of two cartridge cases that police found at the scene.
After the hearing, the young man was found guilty of intentional wounding, possession of a firearm twice with the intent to endanger life, possession of ammunition twice with intent to endanger life, and possession of ammunition. The man, who appeared via video link at HMP Wetherby this morning, showed no emotion as he was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison, plus a further two-and-a-half years on licence.
Sentencing, Judge Clement Goldstone KC said: “You decided that she had to do this, either because of something that was said or stated about you, or because of a pre-existing grudge you held against her for something she had done to you or to a friend. So you decided that your grandmother had to do this.” You returned to his nearby home, armed yourself with a loaded and lethal Grand Power self-loading automatic pistol, and assigned another man to take you back near the store on an e-bike, with the belief that Michael Costello would still be there.
“He was still there and you fired a total of three shots as he passed on the back of the e-bike. The cartridges you fired hit him twice and caused really serious, although not life-threatening, injuries.
“The gun was something you either had in your possession or kept at the ready, which you could access without asking any questions. Although you were arrested and interrogated twice, you were actually arrested not only for firearms offenses but also on suspicion of attempted murder. You remained completely unaffected by this experience and went on to commit your latest series of crimes.” , which, if you had not been arrested, would undoubtedly have led you to commit another armed attack with at least the intention of endangering the life of your intended victim or victims.”
The same court heard on Monday that fire crews returned to Croxteth Fire Station in Storrington Avenue following a call shortly before 8.30pm on May 21 last year. However, as they drove down the road along Lower House Lane, the driver heard shouts from outside the pub and saw Costello “waving his arms in the air” and then “fumbling with something in the waistband of his trousers”. be a firearm.
Mr Riding, who appeared again for the prosecution during Costello’s sentencing hearing, described how he began pointing the object at the entrance of the building before going inside. But it separated again a short time later, triggering a vehicle to “accelerate at an alarming rate”.
Costello was followed by firefighters as he boarded a taxi that took him a short distance to his ex-girlfriend’s home. Armed police later arrested him when he left the address and found a plastic gun and a BB gun in the downstairs toilet.
The resident’s 12-year-old son reported seeing the defendant go into the bathroom and leave the toy inside. The taxi driver later told officers that Costello admitted to him that he was “arguing with a male who didn’t know he was tied up” and then “started hitting his side.”
During the interview, he gave detectives a prepared statement, claiming that he was actually carrying a bottle of rum that he “bought to consume at the bar.” His previous convictions included a recent community order for possession of a fighting and offensive weapon.
Kate Morley, defending, told the court: “He is genuinely remorseful for what he has done. “His mental state was particularly poor at the time.
“He was suspended twice under the Mental Health Act last year. His mental state is much better now.
“He doesn’t really remember it because of his mental state at the time. He was all over the place mentally.
“He was in a bad place. He bitterly regrets what he did.”
Costello admitted to carrying an imitation firearm in a public place. He was given a five-month prison sentence suspended for one year, a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days, and a program requirement.
Sentencing, Liverpool Honorary Recorder Judge Andrew Menary KC said: “I have no doubt that you have what appears to be a black gun in your hand. I don’t know what this is about.”
“You did not explain what happened. You admitted that you had a toy gun, but that night you found it by chance in the ditch.
“I reject that explanation. The fact is that on that night you saw an opportunity to take an item that looked like a gun with the intention of making people believe it was a gun, for whatever reason.
“You need to realize how close you came to a more serious accusation. You have been struggling with your mental health lately.
“I am pleased that you will receive some support from the probation service. “You are your mother’s carer and have your own health issues.
“I hope you can put this matter behind you now.”
Costello replied: “Cheers, Your Honor.”
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