Grandmother Murdered as Gangland 'Payback'

Jackie Rutter, a 53-year-old grandmother, was fatally shot outside her Wirral home in October 2022. The murder was a revenge killing, orchestrated by James Byrne, then 21, whose drug-dealing business had been targeted by Rutter's sons. Prosecutors described the sons as notorious for robbing local drug dealers.

Byrne, a member of the violent Woodchurch gang, fired a handgun at Rutter at close range. He was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison for his crime. The judge noted that Rutter, while struggling with addiction, had no involvement in the drug line her sons operated.

The Woodchurch gang was considered highly dangerous due to their propensity for gun violence. Byrne's conviction marked them as responsible for two fatal shootings within two months in the winter of 2022, including the Christmas Eve shooting of Elle Edwards in Wallasey.

James Byrne and his twin brother Curtis were also previously convicted of attempted murder for shooting a teenager in Fender Way. Curtis Byrne himself was later shot on the Woodchurch estate. Since the arrests of key gang members, serious gun crime in Wirral has significantly decreased.