Gangland hit team seen near home of victim, court told

"Mr Big" Paul Massey (left) and John Kinsella were both fatally shot

A gangland hit team visited the area where a Liverpool mob fixer lived the week before they killed him, a court has heard.

Mark Fellows and Steven Boyle were allegedly seen near the home of "notorious" gangster John Kinsella on April 27.

Both men have been charged with shooting Mr Kinsella and his friend, Salford "Mr Big" Paul Massey on May 5.

They both deny the charges, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

CCTV footage shows 38-year-old Mr Fellows and Mr Boyle, 35, travelling to the area in Rainhill, Merseyside, where Mr Kinsella lived, the court heard.

Relatives of Mr Kinsella wept in the public gallery as footage of him walking four dogs was played in court.

'Murder plan'

Five seconds later, the court was told, Mr Fellows can be seen in the CCTV recording wearing a high-vis jacket and pushing his bike in the same spot.

The two men returned two days later but arrived too late to carry out their murder plan, jurors heard.

Instead, prosecutors said, they waited until a week later, on May 5.

Mr Boyle, acting as the "spotter", saw 53-year-old Mr Kinsella and his partner Wendy Owen walking their dogs close to their home, jurors heard.

The court was told Mr Fellows travelled by motorbike from his home eight miles away in Warrington and opened fire, shooting Mr Kinsella in the back.

He also shot at Ms Owen, who was pregnant at the time, before standing over Mr Kinsella and shooting him twice in the head from close range, the jury was told.

'Gang war'

The prosecution claim Mr Fellows and Mr Massey were associated with a Salford gang, the A Team, who were "at war" with a rival gang linked to the defendants.

Mr Massey died after being sprayed with Uzi sub-machine gun fire outside his home on the evening of July 29 2015.

It is alleged that Mr Fellows was the gunman while Mr Boyle acted as spotter.

Both men, from Heywood, Greater Manchester, also deny the attempted murder of Ms Owen.

The trial continues.