Three sentenced for helping Carlisle murderers flee country

On 24 October 2022 Kane Hull and Liam Porter were sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of Ryan Kirkpatrick. Part of the case was that the pair had fled the country in an attempt to evade arrest, travelling to Northern Ireland then on to the Republic of Ireland. It was clear that they had been helped by others.

Olivia Memmory, 23, Ross Neville, 32, and Michael Celmins, 32, had assisted the pair to evade arrest and travel outside of the UK.

On 18 September 2019, the night Ryan Kirkpatrick was murdered, Ross Neville assisted the now convicted murderers Hull and Porter to travel out of Carlisle and let them stay at his home overnight. The following day he took Hull to collect a stolen Audi car.

Neville initially denied that he had assisted Hull and Porter but later pleaded guilty to two charges of assisting an offender in September 2022.

On 22 September 2019, Michael Celmins collected a stolen Skoda car from Manchester and drove it to meet Hull. The Skoda was then exchanged for the Audi that Neville had provided earlier. Phone evidence showed that Celmins was fully aware of the murder and that Hull was wanted by the police.

Celmins denied knowing that he was delivering the car to Hull but later pleaded guilty, a week before the trial, accepting that he had known the car was for Hull and had done it as a favour.

Olivia Memmory booked accommodation for the pair in the UK using false names. She also travelled to Northern Ireland, met up with Hull and Porter and booked hotel rooms for them in Belfast, before travelling back to the UK in the stolen Skoda, previously driven by Hull and Porter.

Memmory denied knowing Hull or Porter were wanted by police, despite clear mobile phone evidence to the contrary.  She later accepted she was aware they were wanted but claimed that Hull told her he had nothing to do with it and she believed him. She pleaded guilty to assisting an offender, prior to the trial in October 2022. 

Today all three were sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court for assisting an offender. Olivia Memmory was given 19 months' imprisonment, Michael Celmins was given 12 months' imprisonment and Ross Neville was given a 12-month community order with 200 hours unpaid work, a 6-month curfew and must pay a £12,000 fine.

Victoria Agulló, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: "The CPS worked with Cumbria police to build a strong case, including producing CCTV, phone messages and phone location data. The strength of the evidence led to all three accepting the part they played in assisting Hull and Porter to evade justice.

"Without the assistance provided by Neville, Celmins and Memmory, Hull and Porter may well have been arrested sooner.

"The CPS takes assisting offenders very seriously and will robustly prosecute those who help others to evade justice."

Detective Chief Superintendent Mick Bird was the senior investigating officer overseeing the case.

Speaking after the sentencing, he said: "We knew as we pursued Hull and Porter that there were people helping them in their attempt to evade justice.

"There is no doubt this assistance added to the grief and extreme distress already experienced by Mr Kirkpatrick’s loved ones after his tragic death."