Man denies posing as street sweeper to 'ambush' and shoot his cousin - Liverpool Echo

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A man denied posing as a street sweeper while allegedly plotting with his brother to "ambush" and shoot their cousin. Kevin and Jack Gibney were said to have "lain in wait" for their supposed target Ryan Coburn before attacking him in an apparent attempt on his life.

But all three of the shots which were discharged from the firearm missed the alleged target, who was then said to have chased his attackers away down an alleyway. The two siblings are currently on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of attempted murder in connection with the incident.

Kevin Gibney was called to give evidence today, Thursday, and accepted being the man shown in CCTV footage wearing hi-vis clothing and clutching a broomstick, which he used to strike Mr Coburn, at the scene of the shooting on Delamore Street in Walton. However, he stated that he was dressed in work gear as he wanted to be hired by residents for odd jobs in order to make money for drugs.

Gibney went on to state that he had panicked at the sight of the gunman and swung the brush at Mr Coburn as he mistakenly believed that he was part of a group of of men who were trying to attack him. Wearing a white t-shirt with a graphic of a spider emblazoned on the front in the witness box, he said of his clothing under cross-examination: "That's me going out to earn money for myself.

"It just looked more professional for me. People would give me work and jobs instead of me being dressed all in black. I was ready to go out and ask any person I seen in the community for work.

"I want the community to see me like I'm doing something, so they know I'm genuinely trying to clean up. I've brushed the sides up. I've done stuff I wish I didn't, picking up s*** with my bare hands. It's hard living like that. I needed them. I was acting in not normal ways."

When Alex Langhorn, prosecuting, put to him that he "didn't do any cleaning up", Gibney stated "that's because I got interrupted by the attackers". He went on to recall that three men had "rushed the entry" from nearby Cairo Street, one armed with a knife and one carrying a gun, in order to "get" his brother's friend Callum Smith, whom he said was selling drugs in the area.

It was at this stage that Gibney claimed to have noticed Mr Coburn and his friend David Gleeson approaching him from behind and wrongly suspected them of being with the gunman's group, adding: "They rush the entry. They come down Cairo Street and run down the entry to get Callum. I've obviously lashed out with the brush. They've hit me with the brick, the gunman has come round the entry and come running towards us.

"It was only when they ran down the entry that I knew they were there for business. I'm just in a world of my own. When the entry has been slammed, I've realised they've got a gun. I've turned round and I've realised I've got two men behind me.

"They've gone straight for Callum. Callum has shut the entry gate on them. He runs down the entry and gets off leaves me at the scene, gate shut.

"I didn't know they were behind me. I went to make a run for it. You can see how close they are to me. I lashed out with the brush. If Ryan didn't hit me back, I would have run. After it, me and Ryan have got no issue. It's like, why did that happen? I just acted in impulse and swung the brush and tried to make an exit. They wouldn't let me.

"I look at the entry and see these behind me. They're not scared one little bit. That's what made me think they're with the gunman.

"It was an instinct. I couldn't really control that. I thought I was in danger. It looks like he runs at me, to be honest. I know there's no reason for me and Ryan to have done that to each other.

"I believe, if Ryan weren't behind me, I'd have ran away. I've instantly thought, these are ambushing me. I literally thought I was going to get killed."

When Mr Langhorn asked him whether the gunman was his brother, Gibney replied: "Not at all. That's not Jack. That's not Jack. It was not Jack, no."

It was then put to him that he "lay in wait" for Mr Coburn, to which he said: "No, I haven't. I love Ryan Coburn. I wish Ryan Coburn was here today so he could tell you the truth. I had an episode of hitting him with a brush by mistake. We've had a miscommunication."

Mr Langhorn further suggested that there "were no other men" involved in the incident, with Gibney responding: "That's what you're saying, innit. Can you prove that with actual evidence? The footage is me hitting someone with a brush. I feared for my life. I thought I was gonna get killed and I thought they were a part of it."

Gibney, who had earlier described Mr Coburn as a former school friend and said "my mum is his mum's cousin", added: "What reason would I have to do that to Ryan? He's a family friend. He's like a second cousin. I've played footie with him. We play darts together. He's a childhood friend of mine. If he was here today, he'd tell you straight."

A jury of four men and eight women previously heard that the brothers and Smith "lay in wait" for Mr Coburn at around 2pm on February 21 2023, with Kevin Gibney "pretending to be a street sweeper" by carrying a broom while dressed in hi-vis clothing and a balaclava and with a "Barcelona cap" on his head. Jack Gibney, of Lind Street, was meanwhile said to have been stationed in a nearby alleyway in possession of a loaded firearm.

The 25-year-old had earlier been captured on camera in a shop on nearby Roxborough Street on the morning of the shooting wearing trousers and trainers matching those worn by the gunman. Both him and Smith stopped using their phones around 40 minutes prior to the shooting, with Kevin Gibney seen on CCTV "peering" around a wall and making "very token efforts" at sweeping the street in the moments beforehand.

Mr Langhorn told the court that, as Mr Coburn and Mr Gleeson then neared him on foot, the 34-year-old, of Utting Avenue East in Norris Green, "swung around" and struck the former with the brush, "shattering it into pieces". His younger brother then walked into the middle of the road and adopted a "shooter's stance" before firing three gunshots in his direction.

Jurors were previously played CCTV footage of the incident during the prosecution's opening on Tuesday, with a series of loud bangs being heard as the shots were fired. Mr Langhorn saying of this: "Three shots. Not once, not twice, but three times, Jack Gibney fired that gun.

"We will never know why they did not hit Ryan Coburn, whether because Jack Gibney froze in the moment, scared of what he was doing, or that he just wasn't a particularly good shot, or that he ran out of ammunition. What the crown say is, when you lie in wait with a firearm loaded with live ammunition and you discharge it three times, you can only intend one thing. You can only intend to kill."

But Mr Coburn was described as being "made of rather sterner stuff", with the 33-year-old having "given chase, apparently unafraid of the firearm". Kevin Gibney was alleged to have hurled a brick in his direction as the three assailants ran away down the alleyway with "their ambush having failed".

Mr Langhorn continued: "The prosecution say that the three men together had planned this ambush, intending to kill Mr Coburn. Why else arm themselves with a firearm? Why else lie in wait? Why else fire not once, not twice, but three times? The only reason this is an attempted murder is because, in the moment, Jack Gibney failed to hit his target.

"Really, the issues for you are going to be was the defendant whose case you are considering one of those on Delamore Street, and what did they intend when Ryan Coburn came down the street? The crown say that they intended to kill and had that firearm to endanger life."

Both Jack Gibney, who is defended by Daniel Travers, and Kevin Gibney, who is represented by Stephen McNally, deny attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, as well as the lesser charge of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. The trial, before Judge Stuart Driver KC, continues.