A shotgun was discovered inside a man bag after police spotted a gang of teenagers “running for their lives” away from a chip shop in Liverpool. The weapon was hidden in a wheelie bin after officers chased the group. Less than a year later, DNA belonging to one of the teenagers, David McDonald, was found on another firearm.
Initial Incident and Discovery of Shotgun
On June 16, 2023, uniformed police officers on patrol in the Walton area saw three males outside CK Wai Fish and Chips on Willowdale Road. The group “ran for their lives in a frantic, desperate manner” as the vehicle approached. Officers pursued them into an alleyway off Cedardale Road. One of the group, Mason Hoey, was identified by his “distinctive” hairstyle. McDonald was seen in all black clothing, and a third teenager, Alfie Logan, was spotted carrying a man bag.
Members of the public reported seeing the three “garden hopping” over fences and making their way to the rear of Parkinson Road and Fazakerley Road. Hoey and Logan were arrested in that location, and the man bag was found hidden in a wheelie bin. The bag contained a gas-powered air gun and a 12-gauge, smooth-bore, pump action shotgun loaded with three cartridges. The firearm was “fully operational” and “ready for use,” with the barrel and stock shortened to conceal it. Logan was in possession of a balaclava, three gloves, and a large quantity of cash. McDonald was detained on nearby Grey Road, and his DNA was later recovered from “various parts of the weapon.”
Drug Operation and Cuckooing
On April 25, 2024, police attended a woman's home on Hornby Road in Walton, which had reportedly been taken over by drug dealers in a practice known as “cuckooing.” Officers saw co-defendant Ryan Humphries exiting the rear of the home before re-entering, and he was arrested. A search of the property revealed 54 wraps of heroin, an additional 12.1g of the class A substance, and a small quantity of cannabis resin. The fingerprints of a third offender, Francis Harrison, were found on the heroin packaging.
A search of the rear yard uncovered a black bag containing a firearm wrapped in cling film along with an accompanying magazine. It was a Ceonic blank-firing pistol that had been converted to fire 9mm cartridges. McDonald's DNA was detected on both the weapon and the strap of the bag.
Further Offenses and Links to McDonald
On June 23, 2024, Harrison was involved in fighting on a Merseyrail service traveling toward Ormskirk. All parties exited the train at Maghull North Station, and Harrison produced a cosh, using it to “hit others forcefully to the head.” Four days later, on June 27, police searched the home of an “elderly male who had problems with alcohol” on Parkinson Road in Walton. They recovered 256g of cannabis, worth between £2,500 and £3,840. McDonald's fingerprints were found on a bottle of vodka, cans of Fanta and coke, and items of clothing stained with his blood. Nearly £4,000 in cash was recovered from a bag containing McDonald's bank card.
A mobile phone used to send flare messages advertising heroin, cocaine, and cannabis for sale was also found. McDonald's prints were on the device, and CCTV showed him using it on a Merseyrail train three days earlier. On September 13, 2024, police spotted three youths loitering on Grey Road in Walton before they made off. Humphries was stopped on Rawcliffe Road while smoking cannabis and in possession of £1,000 and three ringing phones. A search of his home on Riverside Close in Bootle uncovered 38.59g of cannabis, valued between £302 and £443.
Harrison's Knife Incident and Sentencing
On February 28, 2025, Harrison was involved in further fighting on Stanley Street in Liverpool city centre. He pulled a knife from his waistband, gesticulated, and acted aggressively toward members of the opposite gang. He handed the weapon to an associate, who was also seen brandishing it on CCTV. McDonald's previous convictions include a youth referral order for possession of class A drugs with intent to supply in July 2022 and a four-year sentence for possession of a pump action shotgun in January 2025, relating to a weapon seized in June 2023.
McDonald, of no fixed address, admitted possession of a prohibited weapon and being concerned in the supply of heroin, cocaine, and cannabis. Appearing in the dock wearing a black Nike tracksuit top, he was jailed for a further 35 months. Harrison pleaded guilty to possession of heroin with intent to supply, two counts of affray, possession of an offensive weapon, and possession of a bladed article. Wearing a navy blue tracksuit, he was locked up for two years and eight months. Both smiled toward the public gallery, where family members waved, as they were led to the cells. Humphries, who wore a grey hoodie, admitted possession of heroin, cannabis, and cannabis resin with intent to supply and will be sentenced on Monday.
Defense Arguments and Judge's Remarks
McDonald's counsel, Daniel Travers, said: “He has been in custody now for, almost to the day, two years. In my submission, there has been an unsatisfactory delay in these proceedings. It was clear before his [2025] sentencing date that there was a forensic link to both the firearm and the drugs. I pose the question, how much longer would he have got than four years, if he were being sentenced for both? The class A supply was relatively limited. He has been involved, from the ages of 16 to 18, in serious criminality. I ask the court to bear in mind that this was a young man who, to some extent, when he first became involved, would have been exploited.”
Katy Appleton, defending Harrison, said his family home had been subjected to a “targeted shooting,” and he suffered from PTSD after witnessing the fatal shooting of a friend. She added: “Both pre-sentence reports refer to Mr Harrison being exploited and vulnerable. The defendant has abstained from taking drugs while in custody. At the time of the offence, the defendant was using cannabis to excess, leading to him accruing a significant drug debt, estimated to be several thousands of pounds. This led to him being subjected to threats of violence.”
Brendan Carville, representing Humphries, said: “He was 16 days into his 17th birthday when he got arrested. Prior to that, he was of previous good character. He too witnessed the killing of his friend. The defendant says that he was his best friend. He says he died in his arms. He is anxious to find work and put his criminality behind him.”
Sentencing, Judge Dennis Watson KC told McDonald: “The firearms offence is particularly serious and involves a converted blank firing pistol. Your DNA was on several places of the internal workings and also on the bag which held the firearm. On a rigorous analysis, it seems to me that it is impossible to exclude the realistic possibility that the DNA was placed on there when you were 17, and so you will be sentenced on that basis. The period over which flare messages relating to class A drugs were concerned was a two week period. Allied with this was the recovery of a substantial quantity of cannabis, a quarter of a kilogram, all but £4,000 of cash in bank notes and the phone which had sent the flare messages out, all of which tell anybody that this was a very significant street dealing operation and yours was a significant role. Your age is a significant factor. Bearing in mind that and the previous convictions that you have, it seems to me that, in spite of your age, there would still have to have been a significant starting point.”
