A phone call set in motion events that led to the teen’s brutal death

When Michael Toohey stopped on London Road to talk to a group of friends, he was unaware he was being watched by a teenager whose phone call would set off a chain of events that would end in his murder.

The 18-year-old father-to-be was murdered by a violent mob who chased him into an internet cafe before unleashing a fierce and sustained beating. The staggering violence that took place in broad daylight in a busy part of the city center shocked Merseyside – and resulted in a nearly two-month trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

The two-year anniversary of the murder of Mr Toohey – described by his family as “a loving son and kind-hearted brother” – took place this week on April 16. The ECHO has revisited the story to remember a young man who was taken from his loving family in the most brutal way.

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Mr Toohey, who lived in Oil Street in Vauxhall, came from a large family who had already suffered heartbreak when his cousin Johnny Delaney died following an attack in Ellesmere Port in 2003. Mr Toohey studied at school and left Everton Free School on At the age of 17 he started working in a family business together with his brother-in-law.

Mr Toohey was dating girlfriend Rhianna Draper and had recently moved into a new house together. The couple were going to have a baby boy, and the teen was “so excited about what the future had in store for them.” His family later remembered him as someone who was “adored by all who had the pleasure of meeting him.”

Mr Toohey left the bus on London Road at around 5.30pm on the day of his murder. A then 14-year-old boy saw the man, four years his senior, stop to talk to friends, picked up his phone and told a man named Michael Williams that Mr. Toohey was in the city center.

Michael Williams was the brother of Keiron – a snarling, bearded thug who was the head or near the top of an Everton-based organized crime group (OCG) that was embroiled in a “war” with another gang, although he, even now two years later, , the full facts of the rivalry are not clear. For whatever reason he was after Mr. Toohey.

In a flurry of phone calls, Michael Williams in turn told third brother Anthony, who then called Keiron. Those calls set off a gang attack that ended in murder. Within minutes, Keiron Williams was on the scene at a white Golf estate and chased Mr Toohey, who tried to cycle away before throwing his bike to the ground and running into the Mobiles Junction internet cafe with the thug in pursuit.

Meanwhile, Anthony Williams and his friend Steven McInerney arrived on pedal bikes, while Michael Williams also stopped on London Road in a blue Ford Tourneo. The group burst into the store behind Keiron Williams. Teenager Mr Toohey ran into the back of the store and jumped over the counter, “scared, terrified and shaking” in his attempts to escape.

However, he was followed by the four adult men who quickly contained him in the small, confined space. In a “quick but brutal, savage and sustained attack” he was knocked to the ground and beaten to death by the crowd. Desperate cries of ‘help me, save me, save me’ came from Mr Toohey, while leader Keiron Williams roared: ‘I’m going to stab you, I’m going to kill you and I won’t let you go. I will tell you. who is the gangster here?

Mr Toohey suffered horrific injuries in the attack. He was taken to the nearby Royal Liverpool Hospital with his injuries but died a short time later. A pathologist found multiple bruises on the head and neck caused by multiple blows, some with patterns consistent with shoes. He ruled that the medical cause of death was blunt force trauma.

London Road became the center of a high-profile murder investigation, with much of the road closed for several days. Three days after his death, dozens of friends and family gathered on London Road to remember the expectant father. Hundreds of balloons were released and a tribute was left for the “beautiful, well-mannered, quiet young man”. Mrs Draper said he had made her the “happiest girl in the world”.

Sources close to the ECHO said Toohey was attacked by a group of up to eight men. The ECHO also heard how a weapon was allegedly used in the attack. In the following months, police made a series of arrests in the Everton, Walton and Kirkby areas of Merseyside.

In August 2022, McInerney became the ninth man charged with Mr Toohey’s murder, joining the Williams brothers and the teenager who called in the attack. As police and forensic investigators got to work, it became clear that the killers had left behind a host of evidence that would ultimately prove their demise in the courts.

Jonathan Stewart, forensic operations manager at Merseyside Police, told the ECHO his team spent hours analyzing finger, palm and footprints to determine who was where when the fatal blows were delivered. He said: “By highlighting the position of the fingerprints in the area where the incident took place, we were able to eliminate others who were on the scene that day, we were able to identify the people who were really responsible for Michael’s brutal murder. “

Mr Stewart and his team were also able to prove, from the palm prints left on the counter in the store, that some of the killers had propelled themselves over the counter to get to the helpless teenager. In even more harrowing evidence, fingerprints on a door frame around where Michael’s body was found also indicated how the killers had restrained themselves from kicking and stamping on the teenager.

A huge boost also came when a wireless AirPod earphone was found in the store, with a single black hair wrapped around it. That hair unequivocally placed Anthony Williams not just on the spot, but right at the heart of the attack. A trial at Liverpool Crown Court before Honor Judge David Aubrey KC heard the murder took place against the backdrop of a feud between groups of drug dealers.

Detectives said they were unsure of the precise details of what caused the tensions but believed Mr Toohey was “on the periphery” of what was happening. Witnesses in court said Mr Toohey had previously sold drugs for a man called “Gerry” who had a long-standing feud with Keiron Williams and his associates around the Langsdale estate in Everton. However, police were unable to identify the mysterious Gerry and were unsure whether he was an individual or even a reference to a “drug line” or graft.

The jury was told that Mr Toohey had stopped selling drugs after police were sent to take him home when he reported missing, and because he learned he was going to be a father. The Williams brothers cowardly tried to claim they had rushed to the scene because they had been told Mr Toohey had threatened the 14-year-old lookout with a knife.

Although Mr Toohey was in possession of two knives when he was found fatally injured, CCTV footage and witness evidence showed the claim was nonsense and he had not shown the knife before the attack. Judge Aubrey said he was satisfied “this was not a rescue mission” and said the gang intended for the 18-year-old to be “taught a lesson”.

The court did hear that Mr Toohey had previously been chased by Keiron Williams. Judge Aubrey said: “I am satisfied that Michael Toohey was the target, and while it cannot be said that there was necessarily any significant planning or premeditation on that particular day, I am satisfied that he had been pursued previously and you , Keiron Williams , had instructed others to keep an eye out for him and once they were located, your team would spring into action just as you did, all of you quickly moving towards where Michael Toohey was.

“This was a group attack on a lone teenager who was targeted and then chased into a public place and into a shop where he could not escape. He was a scared young man; he was only 18 years old. Unfortunately, and because this is far too common and a real problem for society, he carried two knives for his own protection. But as I have said, I am satisfied on the evidence that he did not produce it and was not a threat to you at the time.”

The Williams brothers, McInerney and the teenage boy were found guilty by the jury. Four other men, all from Kirkby, were charged but found not guilty after the trial. Judge Aubrey handed down the following sentences:

• Keiron Williams, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 18 years

• Anthony Williams, of Hillbrook Drive, Walton, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years’ imprisonment

• Michael Williams, of Carlake Grove, Walton, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years’ imprisonment

• Steven McInerney, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 18 years

• The then 14-year-old boy was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum sentence of eight years in prison

Chief Inspector Stephen McGrath, who led the investigation, said after the sentencing: ‘Michael’s death illustrates the devastation that acts of violence have not only on the victim, but on families, friends, those who witnessed it, including those working in the emergency services . , and the wider community involved in serious and organized crime must understand that they are masters of their own destiny.

Senior Attorney General Rachael Barber, of the Complex Casework Unit at Crown Prosecution Service Mersey Cheshire, added: “Michael Toohey was attacked and killed in an attack that was carried out in daylight, in a public place and without any concern for people going about their daily business. could perform. could see what happened. Clearly Kieron, Anthony and Michael Williams were at the forefront of events. The 14-year-old ‘called in’ the gang and told the Williams brothers where Michael Toohey was.

“These men all played their part in the attack and arrived ‘with the hands of the crowd’ to help each other. They entered the premises knowing full well that violence would take place, knowing full well that the target was Michael Toohey and knowing full well that He had been cornered in the store. These four men viciously attacked Michael Toohey. Once he was cornered, we never had a chance to escape again.”

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