Life terms for gang who left hand grenade outside Kenny Dalglish's house

Five members of a gang who left a hand grenade outside Kenny Dalglish’s home were jailed for life yesterday. The two leaders of the criminal network were sentenced to a minimum of 22 years each. Kirk Bradley and Anthony Downes, both 26, were convicted in their absence of conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life and conspiracy to cause damage with intent to endanger life. The two men escaped from a prison van while on their way to stand trial last July. Bradley, of Formby, Lancashire, is still on the run but Downes, of no fixed address, was arrested in the Netherlands last Friday. He will be flown to the UK soon to begin serving his time. Three other men were sentenced at London’s Woolwich Crown Court yesterday after they admitted possessing firearms and causing criminal damage with intent to endanger life. Gary Wilson, 27, of Southport, Lancashire, will serve a minimum of 16 years. Joseph Farrell, 23, and Craig Riley, both of Stockbridge Village, Lancashire, will serve a minimum of 12 and 14 years respectively. The thugs carried out shootings and grenade attacks on behalf of others in the Liverpool underworld. The grenade was left on football legend Dalglish’s front wall in Southport in July 2009 – but was not intended for him. Instead, it was thought to be aimed at one of his neighbours, businessman John Ball, who was also the target of two shootings. Bradley and Downes ran their network between 2009 and 2010, ordering numerous shootings and bombings. Downes was serving a seven-year sentence at the time but the judge, Mr Justice Henriques, said he was the “chief executive controlling and organising events from his prison cell”.