25 Feb 2014 16:06
Look back on the updates from crown court as the trial gets underway
Jason Osu Jason Osu was shot outside his home in Wavertree in 2012.
Paul Croxton, 21, Thomas White, 29, and George McGovern, 54, have denied his murder and are now facing trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Re-read our updates from the court as the trial gets underway.
" data-liveNowRefreshInt="0" data-liveNowFinished="true" data-liveNowUrl="http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/incoming/article6742214.ece" data-liveNowId="6742214">
Jason Osu was shot outside his home in Wavertree in 2012.
Paul Croxton, 21, Thomas White, 29, and George McGovern, 54, have denied his murder and are now facing trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Re-read our updates from the court as the trial gets underway.
The prosecution is about to complete its opening and the first witnesses will be called in the morning.
Thank you for following these updates and look out for the full story on the Echo website later.
Thomas White replied "no comment" to all questions in his police interview. McGovern made a prepared statement denying any involvement in the murder of Jason Osu.
He made no comment to all questions asked of him.
On September 9, a few days after the last of the interviews, Croxton made a telephone call from prison to his girlfriend. In it, he said he had spoken to the "other two", which prosecutors claim are the co-defendants McGovern and White. He said that although they were alright to his face, he believed that they were going to fabricate their defence and name him as "the main man".
Croxton told his girlfriend he was "going to have to put a guilty plea in" and he was going to have to tell the police "what's happened...to get me down to a lesser role."
The prosecution say this is an admission of guilt by Croxton.
Jurors told that Croxton's DNA was found on the revolver used in the Jason Osu murder and on a cartridge case found in Warnerville Road after Darren Alcock was shot at. In interview he denied any involvement to police.
Brian Cummins, prosecuting, said: "The prosecution allege that the driver of the van that Darren Alcock pursued was Paul Croxton. He was sitting waiting for him in Livingstone arrive - just as he had for his friend Jason Osu four months earlier.
"When things did not go to plan, and Darren Alcock chased after him, Paul Croxton attempted to kill him by firing a number of shots at him in the vicinity o Warnerville Road. He then escaped back to Stockbridge Village where he abandoned the van and lay low until he felt it was safe to drive his taxi home."
Darren Alcock pulled up on Livingstone Drive near Sefton Park and noticed a white van parked near to his home. Wary in the wake of Mr Osu's death he shone his headlights at full beam and could see a man in the driver's seat. When the man ducked his head, Mr Alcock turned around and drove away.
A short time later he saw the van again and decided to follow it, telling police on the phone what route he was taking. At one point in the pursuit, on Warnerville Road, the van driver stopped his vehicle and got out and fired up to seven shots at his car.
Prosecutors say that man was Paul Croxton.
And lastly we move on to the prosecution case against Croxton over his alleged role in the attempted murder of Jason Osu's close friend Darren Alcock on April 3 last year.
Brian Cummins, prosecuting, said: "There is a common theme to the addresses that were targeted in that all were linked to young men who were associates of a man called Paul Binsteed.
"The prosecution do not say it was necessarily the same people who physically carried out each of these attacks; what we say is that the planning and execution of these attacks plainly involved a number of people and that Paul Croxton was one of them."
On Sunday, March 17, more shots were fired in Fern Bank, followed the next day by an attack in Westhaven Crescent, Aughton, when an industrial firework was thrown through a front window causing significant fire damage. When Croxton's home was searched, a handwritten note was recovered that had the address written on it, Mr Cummins told jurors.
Eight days later, on March 26, a house in Dapple Heath Avenue in Melling was shot at.
We now move on to the firearms conspiracy charge faced by Paul Croxton after a spate of incidents in Maghull in March last year.
There were four shootings and an arson attack using an industrial firework at premises linked to associates of a man called Paul Binsteed.
On Thursday, March 14, after shots were fired at homes in Fern Bank and Moorland Road in Maghull, a Jaguar was seen by police speeding towards Kirkby.
Officers lost the car but later came across it unoccupied and rolling along the road at slow speed.
Lying in the passenger footwell were two handguns in a Sainsbury's carrier bag, which was said to have Croxton's fingerprints on.
Prosecution also allege that upon his release from custody on suspicion of stealing the Zafira, McGovern continued to stay "in the shadows" of the plot to murder Jason Osu.
Court has adjourned for ten minutes.
Brian Cummins, prosecuting, said: "The prosecution allege that by November 12 the decision had been taken to kill Jason Osu, and that what Croxton and McGovern were doing on this date was making final preparations for the shooting.
But these preparations were interrupted by the arrest of McGovern and the seizure of the Zafira. The result of this setback was that the attack did not take place until the following week, with the stolen Citroen C4 being used in place of the recovered Zafira."
Prosecution: "George McGovern was obviously compromised by his arrest on November 12. The heat was on, he had been detained by police in possession of a key to a stolen Zafira with petrol in the boot.
"The prosecution say he is a party to the murder of Jason Osu. We allege he was involved with others - certainly including Paul Croxton - in planning the murder of Jason Osu, who was ultimately murdered according to that plan, albeit a week later than originally intended."
Court now hearing of the alleged role of the third defendant, George McGovern, who prosecutors allege met up with Croxton a number of times.
One week before the shooting, he was arrested at a lock up garage in Huyton. He had a key to a stolen Vauxhall Zafira which contained four bottles of petrol, a mop head and a lighter.
The prosecution allege that was the planned getaway vehicle had police not made to the scene.
Prosecution allege that on the morning of the murder, Croxton drove from St Helens in his taxi with the stolen silver Audi behind him in convoy to Warnerville Road, where it was parked up for its intended use as a getaway vehicle.
It is claimed that co-accused Thomas White parked the Audi and then got in the taxi with Croxton.
Prosecution: "The GPS evidence shows that in the weeks leading up to the shooting of Jason Osu, Paul Croxton's taxi, in addition to making numerous journeys past Jason Osu's home address, also made a number of journeys to other locations of interest in the case - including certain lock-up garages."
In the immediate lead up to the shooting, the prosecution say Croxton also travelled to co-accused Thomas White's home on several occasions.
Croxton's GPS kit was not operating when Mr Osu was shot.
"The prosecution allege is that Paul Croxton deliberately disabled the equipment because he did not want his taxi's movements to be tracked," Mr Cummins tells jurors
Less than a month before the shooting the car was parked near Mr Osu's home for over an hour on two consecutive nights.
Croxton's taxi also appeared to make the same journey as the gunmen did upon their getaway.
The prosecution allege that this was Croxton and White carrying out a "dry run".
The court is now hearing how Paul Croxton, the alleged gunman, worked for cab firm Delta.
GPS data later recovered from his Ford Mondeo taxi showed Croxton taking an "unhealthy interest" in Mr Osu's home address in the three months before his killing, alleges Mr Cummins.
John: The prosecution also allege that the gunmen crossed the railway line by Waldgrave Road to Warnerville Road to continue their escape in a stolen silver Audi A4.
That car was later found on fire in Halsnead Avenue in Whiston.
The court is being told that within a few minutes of the shooting, there were reports of a vehicle on fire in Waldgrave Road, a mile away.
The car was a Citroen C4 with cloned registration plates, and it had been stolen four weeks earlier.
Brian Cummins, prosecuting: "The prosecution allege that the stolen Citroen C4, that was abandoned and set on fire in Waldgrave Road, was the vehicle that was parked up on Beauclair Drive and which the gunmen ran back to after shooting Mr Osu."
John: Back underway at Liverpool Crown Court where the prosecution is continuing with its opening of the murder trial.
Three men are charged with the killing of Liverpool dad Jason Osu.
With that the court has adjourned for lunch. The trial will resume at 2pm
John: Quite distressing footage to watch. As Mr Osu parks his car in his driveway, two shadowy figures run beneath the roller shutters to either side of the car. Without hesitation, they fire off a volley off shots before scarpering.
John: CCTV installed at Osu's house caught the shooting on camera. The gunmen were only out of their vehicles for about 20 seconds in all. Parts of the events were seen by members of the public on Beauclair Drive.
The court is now going to view the footage.
John: The court has been told how Mr Osu's friend Daniel Myers came from inside the house and discovered him lying in the car. He called the emergency services and Mr Osu's brother Mark.
Prosecution: "Jason Osu had suffered gunshot wounds to his head, neck, chest, back and left arm, having been struck by a total of seven bullets, fired from both sides of the vehicle.
"He died seven days later on November 26. Bullets were recovered from Jason Osu's body and from the car and they were examined along with some cartridge cases. The examination indicated that the gunman firing from driver's side had been using a revolver. The other gunman had probably been using a self-loading pistol."
John: Mr Cummins prosecuting now setting the scene of what happened on November 19 when Mr Osu was shot.
Prosecution: "Just after 5.30pm, Jason Osu arrived back at his home address, driving a Mercedes. He was alone in the car. He drive onto his property via the roller shutter and came to a halt in the parking bay.
"Footage from the CCTV system shows what happens next. Two figures - which we say are Paul Croxton and Thomas White - ran through the still open roller shutters, one to each side of the Mercedes.
"Both men were armed with handguns and both proceeded to fire a number of rounds into the car, at very close quarters before running back out again.
"Passers-by saw the men run to a vehicle, which was parked further along Beauclair Drive which was then driven away."
John: Prosecution: "The charges span a period of 4 and a half months, from the middle of November 2012 until early April 2013 and all involve the use of firearms.
"There are other links between the different incidents as well. For example, one of the weapons that was used to kill Jason Osu - a revolver - was used again in one of the Maghull shooting incidents in March 2013.
"Another example is that Darren Alcock, the intended victim [in Broadgreen] was a friend of Jason Osu."
John: The defendants between them face three charges. All three are charged with the murder of Jason Osu. He was 31 when he was shot dead by two gunmen outside his home in Beauclair Drive in November 2012. He later died in hospital.
Paul Croxton alone is charged over a spate of shootings in Maghull in March 2013. He is also charged with the attempted murder of Darren Alcock in Broadgreen in April last year.
Prosecutor Brian Cummins will open the case now.
John: The jury of six men and six women have now been selected. Mr Justice Openshaw is now going through the introductions and explaining their role in the trial.
John: Jurors now being brought back into court for final selection to take place. Then the case will open.
Up in the air if that will happen before lunch at 1pm.
Counsel have scurried away to investigate how the jury issue can be resolved. Judge Openshaw has given them as long as they need. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but I reckon that means it may not be until 2pm that the trial is opened. Nothing quite as slow or frustrating as the criminal justice system.
And we have hit a delay already... There is an issue with the selection of the jury, which will take up to 30 minutes to sort out. The three suspects have been taken down to the cells.
John Siddle: We will be underway as soon as the jury is selected and sworn in.
That is a bit more complicated than usual because jurors have to pledge their availability for three months.
Then the prosecution, led by Brian Cummins, QC, will open the case against the three defendants.
Their trial, which is scheduled to open this morning, is to be overseen by a High Court judge and is expected to last for three months.
A court order prevents the ECHO from publishing the men’s addresses.
Croxton and McGovern also deny a conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to cause fear of violence between March 13 and March 27 this year after a spate of shootings in Maghull.
Croxton further denies the attempted murder of Darren Alcock whose car was fired upon as he drove through Broadgreen in April last year.
Reporter John Siddle will be reporting live from Liverpool Crown Court throughout the day on the Jason Osu trial.
Mr Osu was shot outside his home in Wavertree in November 2012.
Men threatened staff and customers before escaping with undisclosed quantity of cash
Robert Osu burgled a student house on Brompton Avenue
View the original article here
