John Kinsella, a Liverpool enforcer, was executed in a broad daylight ambush while walking his dogs with his pregnant partner. Contract killer Mark Fellows, disguised in a high-vis vest, shot Kinsella multiple times before delivering a final shot to the head. The murder was part of a brutal gang war between rival Salford factions.
The Iceman's double life
Mark Fellows, known as 'The Iceman,' led a double life as a fitness fanatic and father of two while working as a gangland gun for hire. He was already serving a whole life order for the murders of Kinsella and Paul 'Mr Big' Massey when he was found guilty of stabbing child killer Kyle Bevan 25 times in HMP Wakefield. On Friday, he received a new whole life order to run alongside his existing sentence.
Costumes of a killer
In both murders, Fellows wore distinctive disguises. For Massey's killing in July 2015, he wore 'combat gear' and used an Uzi submachine gun, emptying 18 rounds. For Kinsella's murder on May 5, 2018, he wore a high-vis vest and rode a mountain bike, shooting Kinsella twice in the back and twice in the head at point-blank range.
The £50,000 contract
Police intelligence suggested Fellows was paid £50,000 for the hit on Massey, who was shot five times on his driveway. The murders were part of a feud between 'The A-Team' gang led by Stephen Britton and a splinter group 'The Anti A-Team.' Massey, a mentor to Britton, was drawn into the conflict that included grenade attacks and shootings.
Kinsella's past and Gerrard connection
Kinsella had a history of crime, including a £41,000 haulage depot robbery, but later turned his back on crime. He was known for protecting Liverpool FC legend Steven Gerrard from a gangster known as 'The Psycho,' George Bromley Jnr. Gerrard's father confirmed in court that Kinsella intervened to stop extortion and threats against his son.
A life spent behind bars
Fellows, along with co-defendants Newell and Taylor, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Friday to a whole life order for the murder of Kyle Bevan. The attack lasted less than five minutes, and Fellows checked on the victim to ensure he was not found by guards. Fellows will remain in prison until his death, held in maximum-security facilities like HMP Wakefield.
