Sentences for trio who helped Ryan's killers to go before Appeal Court

Prosecutors last month asked the Attorney General to review the sentences handed to Ross Neville, Michael Celmins, and Olivia Memmory, who admitted assisting knife thug Kane Hull and his sidekick Liam Porter following the brutal 'execution style' murder of 24-year-old Mr Kirkpatrick.

Neville, 32, from Canonbie, got the lightest sentence, a 12-month community order with 200 hours unpaid work, a 6-month curfew and a fine of £12,000.

At the sentencing hearing before Carlisle Crown Court, the judge was told that Neville’s criminal record comprised of 42 previous offences, including convictions for violent disorder and dishonesty.

His role in helping Hull and Porter – both now serving life sentences - involved him transporting them on the night of the murder, and providing accommodation, though it was accepted he did not initially know they were wanted for murder.

He did, however, continue helping them after finding out that Hull and Porter were suspected of a fatal stabbing. The court heard that he was summoned by Hull to a rendezvous near Carlisle Airport shortly after the murder, when an eye witness saw burning items being thrown out of his car.

The next day, Neville drove Hull to Newcastle, where the murderer attempted to see his solicitor. Within hours of this, Neville was helping Hull and Porter to search for holiday accommodation.

He was also involved in taking Hull and Porter to Kingstown Industrial Estate a few days after the murder so the two fugitives could pick up another new car in their effort to remain below the police radar.

Neville’s defence barrister said the defendant had made huge efforts to turn his life around, creating a commercial vehicle business, with a £300,000 turnover.

Celmins, 32, from Irthington, helped Hull and Porter by providing them with a stolen Skoda car after they had burned the Volvo they were in when they sped away from Carlisle city centre after the stabbing.

He picked it up in Manchester before delivering it to Hull and Porter while they hid at a hotel in Alston. Paid £150 for his help, Celmins claimed it was only after he had begun the journey to deliver that stolen Skoda that he realised the two fugitives were suspects for the fatal stabbing investigation.

He was jailed for a year.

Memmory, from Cummersdale, got the longest sentence – 19 months jail. She admitted booking 'holiday' accommodation for the killers in Alston, Belfast and then the Republic of Ireland.

She said she thought the trips were a holiday, not a flight from justice. She was also said to have bought replacement clothing for the men.

In a 'secret relationship' with Hull, she claimed she believed his 'protestations of innocence' after confronting him about the fatal stabbing.

Memmory's defence barrister questioned the prosecution’s claim that Memmory was 'not pressured' by Hull, suggesting there had been an 'imbalance of power' between Hull and Memmory.

A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said: “I can confirm that the Solicitor General has referred the sentences of Ross Neville, Michael Celmins and Oliva Memmory to the Court of Appeal as he agrees that they appear unduly lenient.

"It is now for the Court to decide whether to increase the sentence.”

As the sentencing hearing concluded at Carlisle Crown Court, a woman in the public gallery was heard shouting: “There’s no justice. It’s disgraceful.” No date has yet been confirmed for when the undue leniency appeal hearing will take place.

Knifeman Kane Hull, 29, and his 33-year-old accomplice Liam Porter covered their faces with ski masks for the targeted attack in September, 2021, carried out in front of the victim’s friends in Carlyle’s Court in the city centre.

They denied murder but were convicted on 'overwhelming' evidence.

Within an hour of the killing, which prosecutors say was motivated by Hull’s desire for revenge after he was jailed for an earlier attack on Mr Kirkpatrick, the two killers were destroying evidence and plotting their escape.