Young man murdered collecting takeaway pizza had £30k bounty on his head

A man with a £30,000 bounty on his head was shot dead from close range as he collected a takeaway pizza as police continue to hunt his killers.

It is 18 years since Ryan Woolley was murdered as he collected his food from a shop on Picton Road in Wavertree, but despite three men standing trial for the alleged gangland killing, no one has ever been convicted. It is believed he was shot in the neck, face and chest as revenge for the execution of Michael "Mikey" Wright, who was murdered in December, 2006. Mr Woolley's brother Philip was convicted of being the "executioner or executioner's assistant" when Mr Wright was shot at close-range as he sat eating his food outside KFC at Croxteth's Stonedale retail park in December 2006.

Ryan Woolley was also arrested during the investigation into Mr Wright's murder. But the senior prosecutor during the trial into his own murder told jurors there was no good evidence to link him to the killing. He told the jury: "There are those who do not want to rely on the proper rules of law which apply to the rest of us.

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"Thus it would appear Ryan Woolley became a target not for the police, whose job it is to enforce the law, but for others who prefer to live outside it. A contract was put out on Ryan Woolley’s head and his death seems to have been the consequence of it."

On the day of his death, on August 11 2007, Mr Woolley spent the day drinking on Wavertree High Street with two men who would eventually go on to stand trial for the murder. The drinking resumed in the evening, but at around 9.45pm, one of the two former suspects said he needed to return home because of a police curfew.

He told Mr Woolley to collect the pizzas over fears of being arrested and, during that time, it is alleged he summoned a hitman, who was accused of lying in wait in a gated alleyway off Taunton Street. CCTV captured Mr Woolley waiting in Prime Pizza, but just 25 seconds after he left the shop, five loud shots rang out.

Mr Woolley, who was three days off his 21st birthday, died instantly. A post-mortem later showed Mr Woolley was shot first from behind through his neck. A second bullet went into his chin and three more bullets were fired into his body.

Mr Woolley's mum Kim said she had no idea why her son was in Wavertree as he had no friends in the area. She told the Liverpool Echo: "His brother spoke to him later that night and told him to get back to his own end of town. People have assumed that this has happened because of Philip, but as far as we know it could be something completely different."

The three suspects charged with Mr Woolley's murder went on trial in April 2009. But at the end of the prosecution's case two weeks later, where the court heard a £30,000 contract was on his head, their legal teams argued there was no case to answer based on the evidence put before the court.

High Court judge Mr Justice Pitchford threw the case out but the Crown Prosecution Service took his decision to the Court of Appeal, but they lost their challenge. Discharging the jury and acquitting the defendants, Justice Pitchford said he had come to the conclusion that there was "practically no" evidence that one of the men standing trial was the gunman.

Following the acquittal, Merseyside Police said the case remained open and "detectives would still like to speak to anybody who has information about the murder of Ryan Woolley". The force had not re-appealed for more information regarding the murder, until the ECHO requested an update on the investigation this week.

Howard Rubbery, head of Merseyside Police's serious crime review unit, said: "The murder of Ryan Woolley in 2007 is subject to regular reviews by the unit and we would always investigate any new leads or information.

"We know, as in many cases, that our communities often hold the information which is vital to our enquiries. Ryan was only a young man and his death left his family and friends devastated. Any small amount of information could be the key to getting justice for them."

It is still believed the shooting of Mr Woolley was linked to the murder of Mr Wright just months before. Underworld figure David Hibbs-Turner, described as the "principal architect and controlling mind" behind a wave of crime and terror, was convicted of ordering the shooting of Mr Wright.

A trial heard Hibbs-Turner had a longstanding personal hatred of Mr Wright because his girlfriend previously dated him and the pair had a child together. Philip Woolley, who the court heard had an IQ of just 68 and was described as "suffering a significant mental impairment", was also sentenced and told he would have to serve a minimum term of 24 years in prison.

Following a retrial, Mark Richardson and Paul Hollands were jailed for life for their part in the shooting, serving 28 and 25 years respectively. The judge said the shooting of Mr Wright was "a deliberate, ruthless and cowardly execution".

Anyone with information about Ryan Woolley's murder is asked to DM @MerPolCC or call 101. Information can also be passed on anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.