Kevin Nunes murder: Cleared men get £200,000 police pay-out

Antonio Christie (left) and Levi Walker had their convictions overturned in 2012

Two men cleared of being involved in what was believed to be a gangland shooting have been paid a £200,000 settlement by police.

Antonio Christie and Levi Walker were part of a group convicted in 2008 over the murder of Kevin Nunes.

Both men launched legal action against Staffordshire Police after all five were cleared on appeal in 2012.

The force told the Express and Star newspaper it had agreed payments of £50,000 and £150,000 to the pair.

A police investigation was launched after the body of 20-year-old Mr Nunes was found in a country lane in Pattingham, Staffordshire in 2002.

More stories for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire

Kevin Nunes was shot in Staffordshire in 2002 but five men jailed for his murder were freed on appeal

The Court of Appeal overturned the original convictions in 2012 after Lord Justice Hooper said a "very bad case of non-disclosure" over the credibility of a witness led to "what appears to us to be a serious perversion of the course of justice".

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) then launched an investigation into the conduct of former Staffordshire Chief Constable Jane Sawyers, Gloucestershire Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, West Midlands Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale and Adrian Lee, who retired as chief constable of Northamptonshire Police in 2015.

All four served with Staffordshire Police at the time of the investigation.

Clockwise from top left Jane Sawyers, Marcus Beale, Adrian Lee and Suzette Davenport

In March it was confirmed they would not face misconduct hearings over claims they failed to declare evidence in relation to the shooting, with the watchdog saying it found "no evidence of a cover-up or of wilful omission".

The IPCC said two detective constables were found to have a case to answer for misconduct, with one given management advice and the other retiring on health grounds.