8TH PERSON CHARGED FOLLOWING £12 MILLION DRUG SEIZURE BY TITAN

AN 8th person from the North West has now been formally charged following a £12 million cocaine seizure by detectives from 'Titan', the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Paul Harwood, aged 60, Manchester has been charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).

He had previously been taken ill while in custody and deemed too unwell to attend Halton Magistrates Court in Runcorn on Monday with seven other people.

Harwood was remanded in custody to appear before Warrington Crown Court on 29 April alongside the following seven people:-

Steven Harwood, aged 35, Manchester - charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).

Richard Brookhouse, aged 45, Warrington, Cheshire - charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).

Diane Brookhouse, aged 41, Warrington, Cheshire - charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).

Andrew Wilde, aged 52, Partington, Manchester - charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).

Gerrard Garner Mooney, aged 30, Aintree, Merseyside - charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).

Carl Wall, aged 36, Halewood, Merseyside - charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).

Karl Peter Glennon, aged 46, Urmston, Manchester - charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).

POLICE STATEMENT FOLLOWING SENTENCING OF THREE TEENAGERS FOR MURDER OF KEVIN BENNETT

ACTING Detective Inspector Cheryl Rhodes, who led the Merseyside Police investigation, said:- "Kevin Bennett did nothing on the night he was fatally attacked to warrant or provoke the violence inflicted by Simon Evans (14), Brandon Doran (14) and Connor Doran (16). Kevin was a harmless and vulnerable man who occasionally slept rough after a night at his local pub. The defendants went out looking for trouble that night and CCTV shows them roaming the empty streets in the early hours of the morning. When they found Kevin lying asleep behind Iceland they subjected him to a savage and sustained attack. Kevin suffered such serious injuries to his head and body that, despite the best efforts of medics, he tragically died 6 days later in hospital. A comprehensive investigation had been launched when he was 1st discovered assaulted and within days we had arrested one offender. Further arrests followed and all were questioned about Kevin's murder. The offenders knew what they had done and tried to cover their tracks. Brandon and Connor Doran's mother, Linda, provided false alibis for her sons to the Police; a crime that she has been imprisoned for. Simon Evans told his family he had only attacked Kevin because Kevin had armed himself with a brick and they were scared, which turned out to be a complete lie. Evans was arrested a few days after the assault in North Wales, where his family had taken him on holiday. However, thanks to the extensive CCTV coverage that we have in Liverpool, the investigation team could pin point the movements of the suspects in the minutes before the fatal assault on Kevin and place them at the scene. In one piece of footage they were seen taking rubber gloves from a petrol station forecourt - unusual behaviour that indicated that they had something untoward planned. In another, one defendant acts as a look out for the other two as the assault continues behind the Iceland store. Finally, you see all 3 examining one defendant's clothing and shoes before running back behind the supermarket to continue their attack. The suffering Kevin endured before his death and the pain and heartbreak inflicted on his family can never be taken back. But I hope that the conviction and sentencing of these young men brings them a sense of closure and justice, and sends out a clear message that violence against vulnerable members of society is not tolerated by Merseyside Police and should not be tolerated by the communities we serve."