Michael Anton O'Connor: Stab victim ambushed by hired hit men, court hears

Michael Anton O'Connor died after being taken to hospital with a stab wound

A man was stabbed to death in a "brutal, pre-planned ambush" by "hired hit men" over a row between rival drug gangs, a court heard.

Michael Anton O'Connor was killed in The Meadows estate in Nottingham on 10 November 2021.

Eight men and three woman have denied the 31-year-old's murder at Nottingham Crown Court.

A number of the defendants had travelled as "hired muscle" from Manchester, the jury was told.

'Peacemaker'

The court heard Mr O'Connor, from Mapperley Park, Nottingham, was "not the main target" or in a gang but had been sent to the meeting at the last minute as a potential "peace-maker" or to "broker a deal".

He suffered a single stab wound to the heart in Wilford Crescent West shortly before 22:30 GMT and died in hospital.

Opening the prosecution, Adrian Langdale KC said Michael Mingoes - who travelled in the Manchester party - stabbed Mr O'Connor but others played a "significant and important role" in the murder.

The 11 defendants charged with murder are:

• Leonard Ward, 41, of Marwood Road, Carlton

• Benjamin Taylor, 37, of Monton Road, Eccles, Manchester

• Joseph Boscombe, 39, of Rostherne Avenue, Manchester

• Joshua Agboola, 28, of Leven Grove, Darwen, Blackburn

• Michael Mingoes, 19, of Powell Street, Manchester

• Rebecca Bell, 36, of Loughrigg Close, The Meadows

• Paula Usherwood, 37, of Central Avenue, Beeston

• Jerome Sheard, 29, of Wilford Crescent West, The Meadows

• Carla McGuire, 51, of Wilford Crescent West, The Meadows

• Michael McGuire, 34, of Wilford Crescent West, The Meadows

• Curtis Sheard, 23, of Wilford Crescent West, The Meadows

Kerry-Anne Shepherd, 34, of Plantagenet Street, St Ann's, denies a charge of assisting an offender while Gemma Fearon, 37, of Dean Bank Close, Macclesfield, denies a charge of encouraging/assisting in the commission of one or more offences.

Police at the scene of Willow Crescent West in The Meadows the day after Mr O'Connor's death

Mr Langdale said the murder was the culmination of a "drugs war between two rival organised crime groups" over supply to The Meadows estate.

"This was a brutal, pre-planned ambush and attack which in turn led to the murder of Michael Anton O'Connor," he said.

Mr Langdale said Leonard Ward and his "right-hand man" Jerome Sheard organised with Benjamin Taylor - their "upstream supplier" of drugs from Manchester - to send a team of dealers to Nottingham to act as the "hired muscle and hit team".

The prosecution allege the Manchester "hit team" consisted of Michael Mingoes, Joshua Agboola and Joseph Boscombe.

Gemma Fearon is accused of driving them from Manchester to Nottingham.

'Ambush'

The court heard on the morning of the murder, defendants Paula Usherwood and Rebecca Bell met their "main target" whose gang had been "attacking the Sheard/Ward operation continuously" for weeks at a pub in The Meadows.

The prosecution said this was to "set him up" for an ambush at a further meeting that evening.

"But fate unfortunately would play a massive part," Mr Langdale said.

"At the last minute, Anton was asked to go [to the later meeting] on his behalf - seemingly to reason with them in the escalating war."

The prosecution said he was "unarmed and unaware" he was heading "straight into a trap" by a group wearing balaclavas, armed with a sword and a knife.

Mr Langdale added Mr O'Connor "hardly features at all" in calls and messages police retrieved as evidence and it appeared he was not a member of the rival gang or part of the ongoing feud.

The trial continues.