This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/manchester/7987148.stm
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Gangster jailed for wake murder | Gangster jailed for wake murder |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A Manchester gangster who murdered a mourner at the funeral of his previous shooting victim has been jailed for a minimum of 39 years. | A Manchester gangster who murdered a mourner at the funeral of his previous shooting victim has been jailed for a minimum of 39 years. |
| Colin Joyce, 29, was convicted of shooting Tyrone Gilbert, 23, at the wake for Ucal Chin, 24, whom Joyce "executed" six weeks earlier. | Colin Joyce, 29, was convicted of shooting Tyrone Gilbert, 23, at the wake for Ucal Chin, 24, whom Joyce "executed" six weeks earlier. |
| Mr Justice Brian Langstaff gave Joyce two life sentences. | Mr Justice Brian Langstaff gave Joyce two life sentences. |
| He said Joyce and his Gooch Gang treated Manchester's streets "like the Wild West". | He said Joyce and his Gooch Gang treated Manchester's streets "like the Wild West". |
| Joyce was convicted of the murder at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday with fellow gang member Lee Amos, 3, who is due to be sentenced later. | |
| Shootings reduced | |
| As he sentenced Joyce, Mr Justice Brian Langstaff told him: "You were all involved in gang related activity which is all too reminiscent of Al Capone and Chicago in the era of prohibition. | |
| "Manchester is not the Wild West, but many of you treated its streets as if it were." | |
| Eleven men were on trial for a catalogue of gang-related crimes, including murder. | |
| Jurors were told Joyce led the Gooch Gang in dealing drugs, torturing street dealers who crossed them and targeting rivals, culminating in the murders of Mr Chin, 24, and Mr Gilbert, 23. | |
| The court heard gang warfare erupted in the city in 2007 after Joyce and Amos were released on licence for firearms offences. | |
| Their recall to prison later that year coincided with a dramatic reduction in violent crime in the city. | |
| Since 2007 there has been a 92% reduction in gang-related shootings in the city and no gang-related murder for 12 months, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP). |