A gun thug who carried out the public execution of a teenager is trying to get his prison sentence reduced. Connor Smith was one of two men who carried out the murder of 19-year-old Nyle Corrigan, who was fatally shot by the side of Boode Croft in Stockbridge Village in November 2020.

Mr Corrigan was ambushed by Smith and Martin Wilson, who travelled to the scene on foot wearing masks and carrying a Glock self-loading pistol, before lying in wait for their target, who was on his electric bike. The two gunmen “called out” to Mr Corrigan before they shot him once in the back.

Mr Corrigan died of his injuries surrounded by his family around 50 minutes later. Following the shooting the two gunmen escaped on the victim’s electric bike, which was later found discarded in Huyton.

The two gunmen were convicted after trial in December 2024 and were both sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 32 years. They were also handed a sentence of 18 years for the possession of the 9mm firearm, to be served at the same time.

The ECHO has been made aware that Smith, who was 24 at the time of sentence and gave an address of Midway Road in Huyton, is due to appear before the Court of Appeal tomorrow, Thursday. The Criminal Appeal Office confirmed to the ECHO that Smith was appealing against the length of his sentence.

When determining the length of sentence a defendant receives the judge considers a set of guidelines. In cases involving the use of a firearm the starting point for an offender over the age of 18 is 30 years. The judge will then consider factors which either increase or reduce the starting point.

The Court of Appeal can reduce the length of sentence if it is deemed to be “manifestly excessive” or “wrong in law”. This is when the sentence has been deemed to either fall outside the correct range for the offence, or if the judge has based the final prison term on wrong factors.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the origins of the dispute between the gunmen and Mr Corrigan began with a man called Liam Cohen, a distant relative of Wilson. A once good relationship between Mr Corrigan and Mr Cohen “soured” because of an unpaid debt. The dispute culminated when Mr Corrigan insulted Mr Cohen’s partner.

The court heard the “minor debt” had escalated and an “irritated” Mr Cohen had “brought in” Wilson. The day before the shooting a gang of men “gathered around Martin Wilson” and turned up at Mr Corrigan’s home “wearing balaclavas and face coverings” and demanded to know where the teenager was. The men told Mr Corrigan’s younger sister “Nyle was dead” before leaving.

In the days after the shooting Smith was seen on CCTV going back and forth to his city centre flat before leaving with a number of bags and rucksacks. He then moved to a waterfront block of flats to “lie low”. He was later circulated as wanted by the police.

Smith later contacted his parents and arranged to leave Liverpool for Portsmouth. His dad drove him down to the south coast, before the gunman fled to Spain. Smith’s parents were cleared of assisting an offender following the trial.

Smith stayed in Spain for a “prolonged period of time” with phone data placing him in the Mijas area. He returned from Spain in May 2023 and surrendered to police where he was arrested on suspicion of murder. The suspects were charged in March 2024 to stand trial.

Mr Justice Goose, presiding, said: “The murder of Nyle Corrigan, who was only 19 when he was killed, has caused his family and those who knew him well profound grief, while the shooting itself caused the local community great shock.”

Senior crown prosecutor James Allison, of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Mersey-Cheshire’s complex casework unit, said: “The murder of Nyle Corrigan was not some random act of street violence. It was rather a targeted and planned attack, executed with ruthless efficiency by two men who had staked out the location knowing that Nyle was due to be there.

“Pride and ego were at stake. Wilson and Smith had sourced a semi-automatic pistol and live ammunition, they had knowledge of the area and of their victim, they came prepared with face coverings and gloves.

“They were able to move into position at the right time, in the right place and armed with the means to kill Nyle. They also had a plan to flee the scene and avoid detection by disposing of the firearm and their clothing, knowing that it could link them to the murder.”

Detective Chief Inspector Cath Cummings, who led Merseyside Police’s investigations, told the ECHO: “(Nyle) was a 19-year-old male who had the rest of his life ahead of him.

“We’ve seen unfortunately with tragic events over recent years people that use firearms, other people get hurt. It was really, really important for us…to remove these people from the street because they were intent on causing harm amongst themselves with their own disputes…which then unfortunately do transfer over into the communities. I was adamant to get justice for Nyle’s family.”

Smith is due to appear before the Court of Appeal on Thursday morning.