Grandmother shot lifeless on doorstep in ‘revenge assault over medicine’ as 3 discovered responsible

Three men have been found guilty of the murder of a grandmother after she was shot dead in a revenge attack, the court head

Jackie Rutter, a mother-of six and grandmother-of-five, was shot dead on the doorstep of her own home on Meadowbrook Road in Moreton, Wirral, back in October 2022.

James Byrne, Barrie Glynn, Simon Allen and David Harrison have been on trial at Liverpool Crown Court over the past three months accused of her murder.

The prosecution’s case alleged that the shooting was motivated by an apparent “robbery” or “taxing”, after Ms Rutter’s sons Peter and Steven reportedly stole a mobile phone.

The phone was used by Byrne and another man, Preston Connolly, to conduct their drug dealing business as part of the “JJ Line”, reports The Liverpool Echo.

These two men were then said to have carried out the shooting the following day as Glynn acted as their getaway driver. Allen meanwhile torched the stolen car used by killers, having seemingly performed reconnaissance missions on key locations earlier the same evening.

Harrison’s home was allegedly used as a base of operations on the night in question. A fifth defendant, Anna McGinn, was charged with assisting an offender in connection with the fatal shooting, having driven Byrne and her then boyfriend Connolly home in the aftermath.

But the latter has not been present in the dock, having previously fled the country for Turkey. The jury returned their verdicts this afternoon, Wednesday (January 28), 15 hours and 15 minutes of deliberations.

Byrne, Allen and Harrison were unanimously convicted of Jackie’s murder, while Glynn was found guilty of manslaughter by a majority of 10 to two. All four were also unanimously found guilty of possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life and arson.

Mr Justice Goose, the High Court judge who has been presiding over the trial, will pass sentence tomorrow morning, Thursday (January 29). McGinn was meanwhile cleared of assisting an offender and discharged from the dock.

Nigel Power KC previously told jurors during the prosecution’s opening back in October: “Nearly three years ago now, on the 30th of October 2022, a lady called Jacqueline Rutter opened the front door to her home address. She was shot in the chest with a gun, which either was or was similar to a Grand Power self-loading pistol, and she died at the scene.

“Jackie Rutter, as she was always known, was a 53-year-old grandmother. But this was no case of mistaken identity. This was a targeted revenge attack in the heat of a dispute over drugs.

“During the trial, you will see CCTV. Three men arrived at her address in a black Vauxhall Insignia car. It was a stolen car. Two passengers were in the back. They got out of the back of the car. They went to Mrs Rutter’s front door.

“When she answered, she was shot twice. One shot missed, one went through her right hand and into her chest. The two men who had gone to her front door got back into the Vauxhall Insignia.

“They went to a nearby street, where they were met by a fourth man. He had been waiting for them with two other vehicles, a silver Ford C-Max and a Yamaha motorbike. Within minutes of the shooting, the Vauxhall Insignia was alight.”

The court would also hear during the prosecution’s case of a number of references to Connor Chapman and the fatal shooting of Elle Edwards outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey on Christmas Eve 2022. This included an apparent tip-off to the police by Allen that the Skoprion submachine gun used during this murder had been buried in woodland near to Champions Business Park in Upton.

Jurors were meanwhile told that Byrne and his twin brother Curtis have previous convictions for attempted murder. These related to another shooting on May 11 the same year, when “a rival drug dealer was shot with a self loading pistol in retaliation for other acts of violence”.

Additionally, Allen was said to have offences on his record relating to the possession of firearms, dating back to 2003 and 2020. During his evidence, he would tell the court that he “just found guns extremely nice to look at”.

As with Glynn and Harrison to follow him, Allen would go on to name 23-year-old Byrne, of no fixed address, as being responsible for the shooting during his time in the witness box. In his account, he alleged that his co-defendant had told him “I’ve just put two in the chest” a matter of minutes following the shooting.

Allen, aged 55 and of no fixed address, went on to report that he had later been kidnapped by Byrne’s mum and “given a hiding” by men armed with a machete and an axe as they demanded money from him.

During a tense exchange, he told his co-defendant’s counsel Adrian Langdale KC “I don’t give a f*** what you think” and apparently swore at him in Dutch under cross-examination.

In his own evidence, 46-year-old Glynn, of Westway in Heswall, would recall that he “lost his temper in the car” following the shooting and said “what the f*** have you got me involved in?”. He then reported Byrne remarked that he had “been had off” before adding: “I didn’t get a piece for nothing.”

On the stand, Harrison was asked about his claims under interview that Allen had “bragged many times how he recommissioned these guns and he was the main person that put the guns on the street”.

The 59-year-old, of Old Meadow Road in Pensby, said of this: “Simon was often full of fantasy, but, yes, he said these things to me. He often fantasised. How real it was or how true, I have no idea sir.”

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