The gang fled in a Saab, which was found abandoned about a mile away in Barrow Street, Salford. The raid took place during rush-hour traffic in front of passing motorists and one of the guards was beaten in the street while a gang member shouted at the driver: “Get the f***ing keys out or I will blow your f***ing head off.” Just after 8.30am on the morning of July 18, 2011, a gang of masked men, armed with a sledgehammer and a gun, ambushed the G4S van containing Downes and Bradley in Trinity Way, Manchester. Prison breakĭownes and Bradley escaped from a G4S security van bound for Liverpool Crown Court, which led to the collapse of a high profile trial. Their associates, Gary Wilson, Craig Riley and Joseph Farrell, were given 'jobs' to carry out and would farm some tasks out to younger crooks who wanted to make a name for themselves. Other victims suffered life changing injuries after being shot.ĭownes, described as the gang’s chief executive, was accused of directing much of the violence from his cell at Liverpool’s Walton jail. In one shocking incident, the gang threw grenades into a room where a gran was babysitting a seven-year-old boy. Rivals were kneecapped, kidnapped and family homes blown up with hand grenades. The 'blood brothers' presided over a guns-for-hire gang which executed contract violence for cash. Police on the scene in Birkdale in 2009, when a grenade was left on the wall of Kenny Dalglish's home On one occasion a grenade was accidentally left outside the Birkdale home of Kenny Dalglish. ![]() The gang was responsible for 20 separate incidents across Merseyside, which included seven grenade incidents. Hand grenades were thrown at family homes, and rivals were kidnapped and shot. Tony 'Fat Cat' Downes had once orchestrated violent gang activity from his cell at Walton jail, while Kirk 'The Turk' Bradley, was paid off by drug lords from Stockbridge Village to target individuals who had antagonised them.īradley and Downes ran a criminal network between 20, with the pair orchestrating a wave of shootings and grenade attacks across Merseyside. When you've made your choice, press the Save Changes button at the bottom.Ī hand grenade gang offering guns for hire.There are other newsletters available too if you want them as well. Once you're there, put your email address where it says at the top, then click on the Echo Court Files button.First just click on this link to our newsletter sign-up centre.It's free, easy and takes no time at all. To get a behind the scenes look at how they work and the moments that don't make our stories, subscribe to our free weekly Echo Court Files newsletter, written by court reporter Neil Docking. Liverpool's courts are some of the busiest in the UK, with a huge variety of cases being heard each week. This is the story of how the pair built a feared criminal empire and how it all came crashing down around them. ![]() The terrifying escape attempt saw a masked gang spring them from a G4S van on their way to a high profile trial at Liverpool Crown Court.īut after living the high life in Amsterdam, the authorities eventually caught up with them and they were hauled back to the UK to face justice.Īt the height of their criminality, Bradley and Downes presided over an underworld network that was involved in a wave of shooting and grenade attacks across Merseyside. This month marks a decade since their prison break which had been arranged from behind bars using a contraband phone. READ MORE: 'Fat Cat' gangster writes taunting prison letter about most wanted man The pair were once "thick as thieves" but their friendship ended in a prison shank attack after their exploits turned them against one another.īradley, who was known as 'The Turk', and Downes, who was known as 'Fat Cat', once busted out of a prison van and ran away to Amsterdam. Kirk Bradley and Tony Downes went from "blood brothers" to sworn enemies as their underworld bond disintegrated.
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