Tyson fury’s cousin ‘murdered’ with single stab wound to neck, court hears
Liam O’Pray, 22, is accused of using a lock-knife to stab Rico Burton, 31, in the neck
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A man murdered the cousin of world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury with a single blow from a knife during a brawl outside a bar, a court heard.
Liam O’Pray, 22, is accused of using a lock-knife to stab Rico Burton, 31, in the neck, Manchester Crown Court heard.
The seven-inch blade of the knife almost completely severed the major carotid artery in Mr Burton’s neck causing massive blood loss.
Mr Burton’s mother and other family wept in the public gallery as jurors were shown CCTV footage of the fight and fatal stabbing, which erupted and was over in seconds, Michael Brady KC, opening the case for the prosecution, told the court.
O’Pray is also accused of wounding with intent by slashing and stabbing Harvey Reilly, 17 at the time and now aged 18, during the same incident in the early hours of Sunday morning on August 22 last year.
Mr Brady told the jury of seven women and five men, that trouble began after a fight between the defendant’s friends and Mr Burton’s family and friends at Goose Green, a courtyard of bars in Altrincham, Cheshire.
O’Pray had been in one of the bars earlier that evening but was refused entry later, telling the doorman he would be back and “cause him an issue.”
A second bar next door also refused him entry, door staff and witnesses describing the defendant as a “loose cannon” and “very erratic”.
The court was told that O’Pray was demanding entry to a bar and pushing people around because he said he had lost his phone and was looking for it.
He was then “dumped” outside a bar by a doorman but continued “belligerent and aggressive” behaviour, it is alleged.
At just gone 3am, a witness said “absolute chaos” broke out as O’Pray’s friend, Malachi Hewitt-Brown, was punched by Mr Burton’s cousin, Chasiah Burton.
Mr Burton also then aimed a punch at him.
A second later, O’Pray stuck the fatal blow with the knife to the left side of Rico Burton’s neck, the court heard.
Harvey Reilly then went for the defendant, who Mr Brady said was “indiscriminatingly waving the knife” and was slashed twice by him, once to the arm and once to the abdomen.
O’Pray was then punched and seemingly knocked out, a doorman going to put him in the recovering position and finding the lock knife.
Mr Brady said: “All this happened within five to six seconds of Chasiah Burton punching Mr Hewitt-Brown. It was an extremely fast-moving incident.”
Members of the public went to aid Mr Burton, who was struggling to breathe and holding his neck before he fell to the floor.
Mr Burton went into cardiac arrest and was declared dead in hospital at 4.35am.
A 2cm cut was found to his neck, which was 6cm deep, almost completely dividing his left carotid artery, causing the fatal massive haemorrhage, a post mortem revealed.
Mr Reilly suffered a 14cm gaping wound to his chest wall, exposing his ribs, and large wound to his left arm.
Cannabis, cocaine and ketamine were found in the defendant’s blood stream, tests later showed and he had three wraps of cocaine on him when arrested shortly after the incident.
O’Pray, of Little Moss Lane, Clifton, Salford, has admitted possession of a knife in a public place and possession of cocaine.
He denies murder and attempted wounding.
The trial was adjourned until Tuesday morning.