Man guilty of murdering Tyson Fury's cousin with seven-inch blade in bar fight
A man has been found guilty of the murder of Rico Burton, the cousin of world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury.
A jury at Manchester Crown Court found Liam O'Pray, 22, guilty this morning, as relatives of Mr Burton who packed the public gallery shouted "yes". Mr Burton, 31 and a promising boxer, died after being stabbed outside a bar in the Goose Green area of Altrincham, Cheshire, in the early hours last August.
The seven-inch blade of the knife almost completely severed the major carotid artery in his neck causing massive blood loss after a fight erupted between two groups of men in the early hours of August 22 last year.
Liam O'Pray, 22, was been found guilty at Manchester Crown Court (Liam O'pray/Facebook)O'Pray, from Swinton, Salford, was also found guilty of wounding with intent by slashing and stabbing Harvey Reilly, 17 at the time and now 18, during the same incident
The court heard O'Pray had a previous conviction for having a knife in public in 2019.
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He earlier told the jury: "I'm not a violent person."
Prosecuting, Michael Brady KC said all three men had spent the hours before the confrontation in bars around the Goose Green area of Altrincham.
Mr Burton died later in hospital after the attack (@hughfury96/Instagram)
Mr Burton was the cousin of Tyson Fury (Getty Images)The court earlier heard how trouble began after a fight between the defendant's friends and Rico'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, with door staff and witnesses describing the defendant as a "loose cannon" and "very erratic".
A forensic tent in Altrincham following the incident (PA)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.
Floral tributes left at the scene in the wake of the tragedy last year (PA)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.
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In the wake of the attack, Tyson Fury wrote on Instagram: "My cousin was murdered last night, stabbed in the neck.
"This is becoming ridiculous idiots carry knives. This needs to stop ASAP. UK government needs to bring higher sentencing for knife crime, it's a pandemic and you don't know how bad it is until it's one of your own."
O'Pray was today also found guilty of wounding with intent by slashing and stabbing Harvey Reilly, 17 at the time and now 18, during the same incident in the early hours of Sunday morning on August 22 last year.
Judge Alan Conrad KC said he will pass sentence on August 4, though the defendant faces a mandatory life sentence for murder.
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