FIVE people charged with offences following a murder investigation triggered by the death of Carlisle man Ryan Kirkpatrick have appeared in court.

At the city’s crown court, the defendants included the two Carlisle men who have been charged with murdering 24-year-old Mr Kirkpatrick at Carlyle’s Court in the city centre on the evening of September 18 last year.

The two men – Kane Hull, 29, of Bower Street, and 33-year-old Liam Porter, of Fulmar Place – deny the allegation.

They face a trial which will get underway in October. Both appeared before the court via a video link from the prison where they are being held.

The other three defendants – 22-year-old Olivia Memmory, Michael Celmins, 32, and Ross Neville, 31, are all accused of assisting the two murder suspects.

The three sat in the dock of the court as Judge Simon Medland QC discussed the case with lawyers – though several barristers were absent as a result of the ongoing national industrial action by members of the bar.

The charges against the three defendants in the dock are as follows. Memmory, of Cummersdale, near Carlisle, faces two charges which relate to alleged events following Mr Kirkpatrick's death last year.

They are:  

  • Assisting an offender: that on September 20 last year, she attended Carlisle city centre and bought items intended for Kane Hull and Liam Porter while evading capture, with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of a person who had committed the offence of murder, knowing or believing the said person to be guilty of the offence or some offence. 
  • Assisting an offender: that between September 19 and 29, she did an act – providing, booking and paying for accommodation for Liam Porter and Kane Hull and herself in order to evade the police, with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of a person who had committed the offence of murder. 

Celmins, of Irthington, near Brampton, faces the following three allegations:  

  • Assisting an offender: that between September 21 and 22 last year, he did an act – namely, providing Kane Hull and Liam Porter with a stolen Skoda Roomster to further evade the police, with intent to impded the apprehension or prosecution of a person who had committed the offence or murder, knowing or believing that person to be guilty of the offence or some other offence. 
  • Assisting an offender: that on September 23 last year, at Belfast, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, provided Kane Hull with £500 to help him continue to evade capture, with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of a person who had committed the offence of murder.  
  • Handing stolen goods: that on September 21 last year, he dishonestly undertook in the retention, removal or disposal of stolen goods, namely a Skoda Roomster, giving it to two murder suspects, Kane Hull and Liam Porter. 

Neville, from Canonbie, also faces three charges. They are: 

  • Assisting an offender: that between September 18 and 20 last year, he did an act – namely, removing Kane Hull and Liam Porter from Carlisle and providing them with accommodation overnight on September 18, with intent to impede their apprehension or prosecution. 
  • Assisting an offender: that on September 19, last year, at Kingmoor, did an act, namely driving Kane Hull to collect another vehicle (a green Audi) to further evade police, with intent to impede the apprehension of ap person who had committed the offence of murder. 
  • Assisting an offender: that on September 19 last year, at Canonbie, did an act, namely booking and paying for accommodation for Kane Hull and Liam Porter for September 19 onwards at the River View Holiday Park, Newcastleton, with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of a person who had committed the offence of murder.

Judge Medland ruled that there will be a pre-trial review on September 7.

The murder trial is likely to hear four weeks of evidence with the jury expected to be in a position to consider verdicts in the fifth week, while the cases of the three defendants accused of assisting an offender will take five to seven days, said prosecutor Tim Evans.

A High Court judge who is yet to be identified will preside. Judge Medland granted those three defendants bail until their next court appearance. Hull and Porter, who also deny manslaughter, were remanded in custody.

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