Gang who murdered Wigan man over unfounded rape suspicions jailed

Mr Hughes's family said they were "pleased that justice has finally been done"

Eight men who kidnapped and murdered a man they wrongly suspected of rape have been jailed.

Christopher Hughes, from Wigan, was found dead near a road in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, in February 2022.

The 37-year-old was stabbed more than 90 times after being snatched from a street and bundled into a car boot.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the men "took the law into their own hands" and their actions were "nothing short of atrocious".

A force representative said the men, "without justification, believed Christopher had committed a sexual crime".

They said DNA evidence submitted in the investigation of a sexual offence did not match Mr Hughes's.

However, the men, who they said "all knew each other or were related", began a search of Wigan on 17 February, eventually going to Mr Hughes's home address and breaking in.

They said the hunt "continued the following day until Christopher was abducted in broad daylight".

The eight men were jailed for life for murder and given concurrent sentences for kidnap

He was forced into the boot of a car and driven at speed to Skelmersdale, where he was "brutally attacked and killed in act of retribution", they said.

The men later reconvened and "put a plan in place to hide Christopher's body, with a number forming a burial party", but after being disturbed by police driving to a road traffic collision, they abandoned the plan.

They went on to destroy CCTV, change telephones, delete messages and dispose of the car used in the kidnap in an effort to cover their tracks.

Mr Hughes's remains were found four days later by a person walking their dog.

A post-mortem examination found he had suffered more than 90 "sharp force injuries" to his head, neck, body and limbs, the vast majority of which were inflicted while he was still alive.

At Liverpool Crown Court:

• Khalil Awla, 49, from Wigan, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years

• Erion Voja, 21, from London, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years

• Razgar Mohammed, 41, from Wigan, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years

• Alan Jaf, 52, from Wigan, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years

• Dean O'Neill-Davey, 30, from Wigan, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years

• Erland Spahiu, 34, from Skelmersdale, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 35 years

• Martin Smith, 34, from Wigan, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 33 years

• Curtis Balbas, 31, from Wigan, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 34 years

Alongside the sentences for murder, all eight were also given concurrent sentences for kidnap.

Andrius Uzkuraitis, 27, from Wigan, was also sentenced to six years in prison for assisting an offender.

Speaking after sentencing, Mr Hughes's family said they were "pleased that justice has finally been done".

"It will not bring Christopher back, but he will live on in our hearts forever and the memories of him we will hold dearly," they said.

Det Insp Heidi Cullum said the men "took the law into their own hands and murdered Christopher Hughes".

"What they did in February last year was nothing short of atrocious," she said.