Reece Sands, a 23-year-old mechanic from Kirkby, was seriously assaulted in prison after his DNA was found on a gun used in a drive-by shooting, Liverpool Crown Court heard. Sands was at a McDonald's with his girlfriend when three bullets were fired from a BMW towards an alleyway on Wulstan Street in Kirkdale, where two men had been standing moments earlier.
Initially pleading not guilty, Sands was left "keen to align" with his co-accused following the attack behind bars. He admitted conspiracy to possess the Glock pistol, which was found alongside another firearm and £50,000 worth of drugs inside a Sports Direct bag.
Planning and Execution of the Shooting
The court heard that Thomas Beverage, Johnathon Ford, and Keiran Ingle were in the stolen BMW when three shots were fired from a Glock pistol towards an open metal gate on Wulstan Street on July 26, 2025. The area is associated with the Flowers organised crime group. Two unidentified men had been standing in the vicinity but "dived behind the gate" as the shots were discharged.
Prosecutor Holly Menary described how preparations began days earlier, with Ford booking Beverage a hotel room in Birmingham. Ford and Ingle travelled to the West Midlands to collect Beverage before the shooting. The hotel booking was extended as cover. The Hyundai Santa Fe was seen travelling along Stanley Road, with a passenger making a gun gesture. The group then went to Walkden House Farm in Bickerstaffe, where the BMW used in the shooting was stored.
DNA Evidence and Sentencing
Sands' DNA was found on an internal part of the Glock, and Ford's DNA was on the magazine port and handle. Ingle's DNA was on the handle of the Sports Direct bag containing the weapons, ammunition, and drugs (596g of crack cocaine and 46.9g of heroin). Police recovered the BMW from the farm with Ford's DNA on the steering wheel.
Ford, 32, of Lincoln Crescent in Bootle, was jailed for 13 years and eight months with an additional two years on licence. He had 13 previous convictions. Beverage, 25, of Miranda Road South in Kirkdale, was sentenced to eight years and four months with an extended licence. Ingle, 27, formerly of Alderney Road in Vauxhall, received seven-and-a-half years plus two-and-a-half years on licence. Sands, of Bigdale Drive in Kirkby, was jailed for five years.
Judge's Remarks and Aftermath
Sentencing, Judge Stuart Driver KC said: "On the 26th of July 2025, three bullets were fired from the Glock. Two were embedded in an alley gate in a residential street. We do not know where the third ended up." He noted the high risk of death or serious injury and described the planning as significant. He found that Ford, Beverage, and Ingle posed a significant risk of causing serious harm, imposing extended determinate sentences.
Shouts of "love you" and "see you later lad" were heard from the public gallery as the four men were taken from the dock. Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson of Merseyside Police said: "To use a firearm in a residential street is truly shocking, and it's only right that all four men have been jailed for their actions." She added: "We were able to gather enough evidence to show that this was a pre-planned shooting which had been organised days in advance."
