James Halewood murder: Teenager convicted over Kirkby street stabbing

The jury at Liverpool Crown Court did not believe Michael Wilkinson's denial of murder

A teenager who stabbed his former friend to death after lying in wait for him has been found guilty of murder.

James Halewood, 21, died after being attacked in Broad Lane, Kirkby on 7 July, said Merseyside Police.

Michael Wilkinson, of Mosslawn Road, Kirkby, denied murder but was convicted by a jury after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

Wilkinson, 19, was given a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years in custody.

James Halewood was stabbed to death in the street in Kirkby

It was the prosecution's case that Wilkinson murdered Mr Halewood in front of a passer-by before "calmly" driving away from the crime scene.

"Michael Wilkinson and James Halewood had once been friends but gangs and drug dealing had ended that," said Rachael Barber, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

"A young man bled to death on the streets of Merseyside as a result."

Wilkinson, who claimed he had been "stitched up", spent the next few weeks hiding from the police, changed his appearance and disposed of his clothing and phone, the CPS said.

"One young man has lost his life in a brutal and senseless murder and the second young man will now serve a considerable amount of time behind bars as a convicted murderer," said Det Ch Insp John Williams.