Murder accused ‘thrown away’ phone over fears of messages about drug sales, court hears

Jamie Coggins told the court he played FIFA, went to see his girlfriend and planned to go to a “little bistro for something to eat” after the shooting.

A murder suspect “got rid of” his phone the day after a fatal shooting because he feared reports of drug sales, a court has heard. Jamie Coggins, 28 years old. one of four men accused of murdering Niall Corrigan, who was fatally shot at Bude Croft in Stockbridge Village. November 12, 2020

Three other men – Martin Wilson, 37, Connor Smith, 26, and Anthony Llewellyn, 25 – appeared at Liverpool Crown Court alongside Coggins after being charged with his murder.. The four men are also accused of conspiring to possess a 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol with intent to supply it, while Smith’s parents – Melanie Smith, 47, and Mark Sharp, 49 – are charged with aiding an offender.

The Crown’s case against the four men is that Wilson and Connor Smith were the gunmen who carried out the shooting but were supported by Coggins and Llewellyn, “who were both in full agreement with the plan.” Lead prosecution lawyer Richard Wright previously told the court: “We say all four of these men are responsible for his murder.”

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Coggins was the first defendant to take the witness stand. this morning, Friday, November 22nd, and answered questions from his legal counsel, Nick Johnson K.S. Coggins told the court that he was in Burger Town at the time of the shooting. Walton with co-defendant Llewellyn.

Mr. Johnson asked Coggins about his movements in the hours after the shooting. Ask him first why he was at Reliance House – Liverpool city center apartment belonging to alleged perpetrator Smith – at 7:36 p.m., Coggins stated he was looking for Smith. When asked how he got into the apartment without the key fob, Coggins replied: “I was friendly with the concierge, he let me in. I went over and knocked on Connor’s door to see if he was home.”

The court heard that about 10 minutes later he called two men – Paul Birch and Neil Cook. When asked why he called, Coggins replied, “Well, Mr. Birch, I don’t remember what it was about, but I remember Mr. Cook. We were looking for Connor. He didn’t answer the phone. Sometimes he would go out for drinks with Neil. I got his number from Anthony and called him.

The court heard later that evening Coggins left his colleague Joshua Donnelly at home before continuing his conversation with Llewellyn. Mr Johnson asked where he went, to which Coggins replied: “I only go to a few places” before listing his mum’s, aunt’s and Llewellyn’s houses.

Later that evening, Coggins and Llewellyn returned to Reliance House around 11pm, the court heard. However, this time it was claimed that they had a key fob, which the latter used to let them in. Mr Johnson asked Coggins: “Did you or Mr Llewelyn obtain the key fob?”

Coggins in jeans, a gray zip-up top and reddish hair at the dacha as a witness.replied: “Anthony got the keychain. Anthony and I were at my aunt’s… when we went to leave we saw a car and thought it was Connor’s car parked next to the grass shoulder. He added: “The fob and key were just there.

“Some time later, Anthony asked me to go to Connor’s apartment to get his shoes and jacket… Anthony sometimes stays there and carries a pair of shoes and a jacket with him. While we were there we played FIFA and I smoked a few cigarettes.”

During the opening of the case, the prosecution showed the jury CCTV footage of two men outside Reliance House in which Llewellyn was not wearing any shoes.. The prosecution said: “We offer a reasonable inference that he lent them to Smith, who discarded his shoes after the shooting.”

Coggins claims they were there for about 40 minutes before he drove Llewellyn home. He then told the court he went “to pick up weed from someone in Corner Brook” before making two phone calls to Delta Taxis.

When asked where he was going, Coggins replied: “I was calling a taxi to go see the girl I was seeing at the time.” And when Johnson asked why he wasn’t driving, Coggins replied, “I smoked weed… I didn’t think I was going to get pulled over.”

The court heard he took a taxi to Elizabeth Road in Huyton to his second cousin’s house where the girl he was dating was. Coggins told the court he took a taxi back to Barons Hey that morning because “my car had been there since last night.” When asked what he did later that day, he replied: “I think I was going to a little bistro for something to eat.”

The court heard he called Llewellyn at 1.33pm, which was the last outgoing call on his phone. Mr Johnson asked if he had gotten rid of his phone, to which Coggins replied: “Yes, because Anthony called Niall at 1.30pm (the day before) and then he was killed.

“I think the police might want to question Anthony and confiscate his phone. If my phone is taken away, I don’t want to testify against myself because I don’t know what I sold. I’ll just get rid of it in case that happens.” Mr Johnson asked “anything on your phone about Niall” to which Coggins replied “no”. He added: “I used to sell drugs. I don’t know what I sold, I just got rid of it.”

Earlier in the trial, Coggins told the court that while he was friends with Llewellyn and Smith, he had only met Wilson “a couple of times in passing.” He added that he had known victim Mr Corrigan for “most of my life” and considered him a friend.

When asked by Johnson what he would do in his free time, Coggins told the court: “Well, I would call my friends Anthony and Connor, go get something to eat and then go to a friend’s house or my house and have a beer.” He said they would spend time playing and talking about video games, adding that he played “eight to 12 hours a day” and had particular experience with “FIFA and World of Warcraft.”

On the day of the shooting, calls were taking place between Coggins, Smith and Llewellyn, which Coggins said were social calls and could “possibly be about video games” since a new FIFA game had recently been released.

During the prosecution’s opening, Mr. Wright told the jury that “the origins of the dispute lie with a man named Liam Cohen.”. Mr Wright said Mr Cohen also lived in Little Moss Ey with his partner Kayleigh Donnelly and had previously been on good terms with Mr Corrigan, but the relationship had “soured” due to an unpaid debt.

The court heard the dispute came to a head on November 9 when Mr Corrigan sent Ms Donnelly a message calling her a “sassy prat”. Mr Wright said the “minor debt” had increased and an “irritated” Mr Cohen had “brought in” a distant relative of Wilson.

The prosecution said a group of men later gathered around Wilson and went to Mr Corrigan’s home demanding to know where he was. Mr Wright told the court the group said “Niall was dead” and when Ms Corrigan left to go to her grandfather’s house they followed her in the car and shouted that her brother “shouldn’t start that -that is, if he’s not going to finish it.” “

The next day the court heard two men armed with a 9mm Glock pistol were waiting for Mr Corriga.n, was riding his electric bike before he was shot in the back. Mr Wright previously said: “Although two men carried out the physical act of pursuing and shooting Niall Corrigan, we believe the shooters were part of a wider team, a team that was created to help them both carry out the shooting.” and then try to get away with it.”

Coggins of The Spinney, Stockbridge Village; Llewelyn, formerly of Olivette Way, St Helens; Smith of Midway Road Highton; Wilson, of no fixed address, and Melanie Smith and Mark Sharp, both also of Midway Road, deny the charges against them. Judge Goose’s trial continues.