Man who helped Ryan Kirkpatrick's killers flee is arrested

Ross Neville helped two murderers leave Carlisle in the hours after their attack

A man who failed to hand himself in to police after his sentence was increased for helping two murderers flee has been arrested.

Ross Neville had been given a community order over his involvement in the death of Carlisle man Ryan Kirkpatrick.

However, that was increased to a 22-month jail term following an undue leniency appeal.

He failed to report to Cumbria Police by Tuesday last week. The force said he had now been "located and arrested".

Mr Kirkpatrick, 24, was killed by Kane Hull and Liam Porter in September 2021 in a Carlisle bar, and the pair were jailed for life after being found guilty of murder.

Ryan Kirkpatrick was targeted in a Carlisle bar in September 2021

In December Neville pleaded guilty to assisting an offender, as did Michael Celmins, with the latter jailed for 12 months before his sentence was increased to two years.

In the hours after the killing, Neville had transported Hull and Porter away from the city and was caught on CCTV at his own address in Canonbie, Dumfries and Galloway, as he housed the pair.

The 32-year-old, who deals in commercial vehicles, had also gone with Hull to Newcastle and back, and then to acquire an Audi from Carlisle's Kingmoor industrial estate.

Celmins later drove to an Alston hotel to provide Hull with a stolen Skoda Roomster vehicle sourced from Manchester and also took away the Audi.

Police found the killers hiding in County Mayo, Ireland.

Olivia Memmory, 23, was also convicted of assisting Hull and Porter by booking accommodation for them and is serving 19 months in jail.

Kane Hull and Liam Porter were jailed for at least 28 years and 26 years respectively