Gang handed life sentences for murder of Wigan man

The 37-year-old was found dead near a road in Skelmersdale in February 2022

Author: Harry BoothPublished 9th Feb 2023
Last updated 9th Feb 2023

Eight men have been jailed for life with a combined total of 229 years for the kidnap and murder of a Wigan man who they wrongly believed had seriously sexually assaulted a teenage girl.

37-year-old Christopher Hughes was found dead off White Moss Road South in the Skelmersdale area of Lancashire on 22 February 2022.

He had been stabbed over 90 times after being snatched from the street in broad daylight and bundled into the boot of a vehicle.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Hughes was targeted by the group after they wrongly suspected him of the rape of a teenage girl in Wigan.

On the evening after he was killed, a burial party was formed to hide Christopher's body but the group abandoned that plan because they were disturbed by police who were investigating a crash nearby.

The eight men convicted of murder and kidnapping are:

  • Erland Spahiu, 34, White Moss Road South, Skelmersdale - 35 years
  • Dean O'Neill Davey, 30, of Conrad Close, formerly of Bulteel Street, Wigan - 25 years
  • Martin Smith, 34, of Greenwood Avenue - 33 years
  • Alan Jaf, 52, of Ridyard Street, Wigan - 26 years
  • Khalil Awla, 48, of Greenwood Avenue - 26 years
  • Razgar Mohammad, 40, of Plane Avenue, Worsley Hall - 27 years
  • Erion Voja, 21, of Peall Road, Croydon, London - 23 years
  • Curtis Balbas, 30, Matheson Drive, Worsley Hall, Wigan - 34 years

Andrius Uzkuraitis, 27, of Holly Road, Worsley Hall, was convicted of assisting an offender but cleared of murder and kidnapping and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.

In a victim impact statement, Christopher's mum Susan said her son's death leaves the family with love they can no longer give him - and she's now devoting her life to caring for his young daughter.

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