On October 7, 1992, a black Escort XR3 screeched onto Molyneux Way in Aintree, drawing the attention of shoppers as it sped down the busy street. Pulling up beside another car parked outside a betting shop, a man exited the passenger side of the Escort and fired rapid shots through the other driver's window.
It was all over in a matter of seconds, and the gunman hastily made his escape. Inside the parked car, 32-year-old Michael "Long Mick" Rowledge, vice-president of the British Hells Angels, was fatally wounded - four bullets lodged in his chest. Two other Angels inside the car, Andrew Trevis and Stephen Pollock, were unharmed in the chaos.
Wall of silence and motive
No sooner had Rowledge's blood dried on the steering wheel than enemies and allies alike closed ranks. Investigators faced a "wall of silence" on all sides, as Detective Chief Inspector Geoff McDonald told the ECHO: "It is true that the victim's friends are offering us no help at all. Our information suggests this is because it is their policy not to co-operate with police."
This strict "no snitching" policy did not stop detectives weeding out the motive for the murder. It was discovered that Rowledge and his fellow Angels had travelled from Wolverhampton to Liverpool to collect a £140,000 drugs debt.
It followed a fierce dispute between the Hells Angels and a Liverpool organised crime gang. The gang had made a significant down payment on a large shipment of cannabis from Amsterdam, which was seized by customs officials while docking at Manchester.
Cold blooded execution
As a result, the crime gang refused to pay the Amsterdam trafficker, known as Lars, the £140,000 owed. Lars, a former Hells Angel himself, contacted the club to collect the large debt - and so Rowledge and his pals arranged to meet the gang at Aintree Racecourse. What followed was, in the words of the prosecution, a "cold blooded gangland execution".
An investigation led to 36-year-old Delroy Davies, from Manchester, as the possible gunman. But a jury failed to reach a verdict when he appeared on a murder charge at Liverpool Crown Court in May 1993, and he was later acquitted on the direction of a judge after the prosecution decided not to offer further evidence. Another man, Anthony Leathem, 35, was cleared of being in illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and CS gas cannisters.
OCG member Thomas Dures, 28, of Sedburgh Avenue in Old Roan, was convicted of plotting the murder to avoid paying the £140k drug debt. The court was told he had driven the hired assassin - who had been promised £30,000 for the hit - to a safe place following the crime. Dures claimed he was miles away at the time, but a witness spotted his car near the scene shortly before the fatal shooting. He was jailed for thirteen years for conspiracy to murder.
Retrial and convictions
Two other defendants, Gerard Duncan, 40, of Malvern Close in Kirkby, and Florence Williams, 43, of The Bramleys in Maghull, faced a re-trial. This took place in January 1995, when they were joined in the docks by Thomas' brother Stephen Dures, 35, of Canal View in Melling. All three stood accused of conspiracy to commit murder.
Dures claimed he was on his way back from Stoke, but witnesses placed him at the murder scene. Williams claimed she just happened to be parked behind Rowledge's car when the killer struck, and Duncan said he had no knowledge of an ammunition "shopping list" found in his jacket. But the prosecution asserted all three had been involved in the murder plot. Williams had deliberately blocked Rowledge's car with her Ford Escort to prevent his escape, while Dures had acted as a getaway driver for the gunman.
Sentencing and aftermath
On March 9 1995, the ECHO reported: "Three jailed 3 years after 'execution'". A jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Dures, Williams and Duncan guilty after just over six hours deliberation. The report read: "When today's verdicts were announced, Dures winked towards the public gallery and gave a thumbs-up sign. Williams leaned forward and looked at the jury, shaking her head in disbelief. A woman friend of hers, who has attended throughout the trial, broke down sobbing heavily and had to leave the courtroom. As Williams was led from the dock, she shouted: 'I had nothing to do with it'. But a woman member of the Dures family shouted back: 'You did.'"
Passing sentence, Judge Mr Justice Sachs said: "You have been convicted by the jury of a dreadful conspiracy which resulted In a man losing his life. He was defenceless in his car when he was shot to death. None of you have displayed any remorse or regret. I am satisfied that you, Stephen Dures, were a prime mover or the prime mover. Your behaviour was appalling in the way you threatened two witnesses. Their courage in coming to this court deserves applause. I accept, Florence Williams, that your role was a lesser role but one that was critical to the success of this enterprise. You are an accomplished liar and a practised one. You, Gerard Duncan, masterminded communications between the conspirators."
Stephen Dures was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Florence Williams to 10 years and Gerard Duncan to eight years. The gunman himself was never definitively identified, and remains on the run to this day.
