Two men who shot and killed a teenager after he confronted his girlfriend’s ex have been jailed for a minimum of 58 years.
Michael Bagnall, 22, and his uncle Andrew Bayne, 37, were found guilty at the Old Bailey yesterday of murdering Ben Purdy, 18, on November 23 last year.
The court were told how Bagnall had wanted to teach the teenager and his friends “a lesson” after they’d confronted him about harassing Purdy’s new girlfriend on Facebook.
The prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC explained how there was a rivalry between Bagnali and the victim who had started dating Bagnall’s former girlfriend.
Bagnall had found a new girlfriend since the split but was bitter over the break up and he sent her “threatening messages” over Facebook or by phone.
Mr Aylett explained:
After this had gone on for some time, Ben obviously had enough and so that Sunday, around lunchtime, with two friends to help, Callum and Jack, the three of them decided to go and confront Michael Bagnall and have it out with him.
He continued:
It was undoubtedly a very stupid thing to have sought to do and cost Ben Purdy his life.
Before Mr Purdy was shot, there was a skirmish with the victim and two of his friends in Bermondsey, south London which ended when the youngsters fled.
As revenge Bagnall and Bayne armed themselves with a pistol and other weapons, jumped in a Ford Focus and hunted down Mr Purdy, Callum Malone and Jack Walker.
When they caught up with the boys, Bayne shot Mr Purdy in the head then pointed the gun towards Callum telling him to open his mouth before making off.
Mr Purdy suffered “catastrophic injuries” and died the next day in hospital.
The Judge, Christopher Moss QC, jailed the pair for a combined minimum of 58 years. Bagnall will serve at least 28 years while Bayne, who pulled the trigger, must serve at least 30.
As they were led away, Bagnall began abusing at the judge and shouted out “I’m glad he’s dead” in the courtroom shocking Purdy’s family.
In a statement, Ben’s mother, Joanne Treston-Smith, paid tribute to her son saying:
The void that Ben’s death has left will never be filled. We will always have him missing in our lives.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.