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Two guilty of pub execution plot Two guilty of pub execution plot
(20 minutes later)
Two people have been convicted of organising a gangland execution in a packed pub in Greater Manchester.Two people have been convicted of organising a gangland execution in a packed pub in Greater Manchester.
Ian McLeod, 42, and Constance Howarth, 38, had denied a plot to murder two men in the Brass Handles pub, Salford. A third man, Warren Mason, was cleared. Ian McLeod, 42, and Constance Howarth, 38, had denied a plot to murder two men in the Brass Handles pub, Salford. A third man was cleared.
A court heard how the pair hired would-be hitmen Carlton Alveranga, 20, and Richard Austin, 19, who burst into the building and opened fire.A court heard how the pair hired would-be hitmen Carlton Alveranga, 20, and Richard Austin, 19, who burst into the building and opened fire.
But the pair missed their targets and were shot dead in the ensuing melee.But the pair missed their targets and were shot dead in the ensuing melee.
The masked gunmen stormed into the pub in Edgehill Close, Langworthy, shortly before 1415 GMT on 12 March 2006. Trial judge Mr Justice Andrew Smith remanded into custody McLeod, of Victoria Street, Radcliffe, and Howarth, of Rosalind Court, Salford. They will be sentenced on a date yet to be fixed.
Conspiracy to murder can carry a life sentence depending on the level of danger to the public a defendant represents.
From the outset the investigation team was faced with little other than the registration number of a car seen in the area, two dead bodies and two mobile phones Det Supt Andy Tattersall
The gunmen stormed into the pub in Edgehill Close, Langworthy, shortly before 1415 GMT on 12 March 2006.
At the time, the pub was busy with people watching a live televised football match between Manchester United and Newcastle United.
Target David Totton was shot and another man, Aaron Travers, was also hit as Austin pulled the trigger six times.
But Alveranga's 9mm handgun jammed and the pair were jumped on by drinkers, disarmed and then shot in the chest with their own weapons.
The pair staggered outside after the incident but were attacked as they lay dying on the grass verge outside, Preston Crown Court heard.
Mr Totton and Mr Travers were both badly injured but survived.
The hitmen were shot dead in the ensuing meleeThe hitmen were shot dead in the ensuing melee
At the time, the pub was packed with people watching a live televised football match between Manchester United and Newcastle United. The court was told that the botched hit was arranged by McLeod on the orders of another man, security firm boss Bobby Spiers, who is still being hunted by police.
Both targets were seriously wounded in the attack but miraculously survived, the court heard. Howarth, who previously served five years in jail after police found a Mach 10 sub-machine guns in the boot of her car, acted as a "spotter" in the pub to direct the hitmen to their target.
After the shooting pandemonium broke out and the gunmen were either disarmed or one of the customers had a firearm which they used to shoot both men in the chest. Det Supt Andy Tattersall, who led the investigation, said: "This was a premeditated attempt at cold-blooded murder in a pub packed with families and children on a Sunday afternoon.
Prosecutors successfully proved that McLeod, of Victoria Street, Radcliffe, and Howarth, of Rosalind Court, Salford, were both involved in the plot. "Howarth and McLeod may not have physically pointed a gun at Totton but their involvement was so integral to the organisation of this venture that without them it would not have been possible."
Warren Mason, of Jackson Street, Kearsley, was cleared. Inquiry ongoing
A fourth man, Robert "Bobby" Spears, is also suspected of involvement in the alleged plot but is believed by police to have fled the country. Mr Tattersall said someone inside the pub fatally shot both men with their own weapons.
"This remains an open investigation and we are continuing to try and establish exactly who fired those fatal shots.
"The investigation has been an extremely difficult and complex case, with many people reluctant to come forward with information for fear of reprisals.
"From the outset the investigation team was faced with little other than the registration number of a car seen in the area, two dead bodies and two mobile phones."
Warren Mason, 23, of Jackson Street, Kearsley, was cleared.