Michael Anton O'Connor: Drug gang guilty of murder

Michael Anton O'Connor was acting as a peacemaker in a row between rival gangs but was mistaken for a drugs kingpin and fatally stabbed

Members of a drugs gang have been found guilty of murder after a man was stabbed in a case of mistaken identity.

Michael Anton O'Connor died in hospital after police found him collapsed on a pavement in The Meadows estate in Nottingham on 10 November 2021.

Nottinghamshire Police said the 31-year-old was acting as a peacemaker between two gangs - but his killers mistook him for a drugs kingpin.

Nine people found guilty of his murder will be sentenced next week.

A further two women found guilty of other offences relating to Mr O'Connor's murder will also be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on 20 June.

Police manning the cordon in Wilford Crescent West where the attack took place

Mr O'Connor, from Mapperley Park, Nottingham, was attacked outside a house in Wilford Crescent West shortly after 22:20 GMT on 10 November 2021.

He later died at the Queen's Medical Centre from a stab wound to the heart.

'Brutal pre-planned ambush'

Police said his murder was the culmination of a drug war between two rival gangs - each vying for control of the local drugs market.

Mr O'Connor, who was well-known and well-liked in the area, was asked to calm tensions between them.

But he was ambushed after he was mistaken for the intended target - a Nottingham drugs kingpin.

A total of 13 people went on trial in connection with his death last October and 11 of them were convicted on Monday.

The court heard Mr O'Connor went unarmed and was unaware that he was heading into a trap set for the kingpin.

During the trial, the prosecution said Mr O'Connor had been the victim of a "brutal pre-planned ambush", adding his murder had been a "joint act" by numerous individuals.

From top left: Leonard Ward, Jerome Sheard, Carla McGuire and Michael McGuire (from bottom left) Paula Usherwood, Benjamin Taylor, Joseph Boscombe, Michael Mingoes and Joshua Agboola

The nine defendants found guilty of murder are:

• Leonard Ward, 42, of Marwood Road, Carlton, Nottingham

• Jerome Sheard, 31, of Wilford Crescent West, The Meadows, Nottingham

• Carla McGuire, 53, of Wilford Crescent West, The Meadows,

• Michael McGuire, 35, of Wilford Crescent West, The Meadows

• Paula Usherwood, 39, of Central Avenue, Beeston, Nottingham

• Benjamin Taylor, 38, of Monton Road, Eccles, Manchester

• Joseph Boscombe, 41, of Rostherne Avenue, Manchester

• Michael Mingoes, 21, of Powell Street, Manchester

• Joshua Agboola, 30, of Leven Grove, Darwen, Blackburn

Kerry-Anne Shepherd, 35, of Plantagenet Street, St Ann's, Nottingham, was found guilty of assisting an offender.

While Gemma Fearon, 38, of Dean Bank Close, Macclesfield, Cheshire, was found guilty of encouraging/assisting an offence believing it will be committed.

Two others, Rebecca Bell, 36, of Loughrigg Close, The Meadows, and Curtis Sheard, 23, of Wilford Crescent West, The Meadows, were both found not guilty of Mr O'Connor's murder and manslaughter.

Following the verdicts, Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin said: "Firstly, our thoughts are with Michael's family who have had to endure such a tragic and traumatic event.

"As someone who was well-known and well-liked in The Meadows area, Michael was asked to act as a peacemaker between two feuding groups and it cost him his life.

"He was ambushed by a number of masked up men who were heavily armed with a gun, a sword, a knife, axe and hammer. Michael was unarmed and his killing was therefore cowardly in the extreme."

Det Ch Insp Rob Routledge, who led the investigation, said it was a "brutal attack" on Mr O'Connor.

"These nine defendants denied their involvement in this horrific crime, but a jury has found them guilty," he added.