A CLEANER who arranged the 'callous' murder of a complete stranger simply for 'disrespecting' him in a minor row has been jailed for life today and ordered to serve a minimum of 28 years.

Elroy Otway, 27, hired the gunman and drove him to the scene of the slaying after a row at a burger bar.

Judge Anthony Gee told Manchester Crown Court he was as guilty as the man who actually pulled the trigger.

He said: "Your actions brought about the end of the life of another in a brutal, callous, merciless fashion, when the motive appears to have been an earlier, and minor altercation."

The court was told Otway exchanged words with a boy on a bicycle outside McDonalds restaurant in Wythenshawe Civic Centre on the afternoon of August 22 2006, when the victim, 25-year old Mark Daniels, intervened.

The judge said in court: "He told you to go away in fairly explicit terms, which you may well have considered disrespectful."

Less than three hours later, Otway drove to Longlevens Road in Wythenshawe together with the gunman who shot Mr Daniels at close range with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

One shot missed, another hit him in the leg, then as he lay utterly defenceless on the ground, the killer shot was fired into his back.

The judge said: "You must have known the other man was in possession of a firearm. It would have been plainly on view to you, and at the scene it was brandished on open display.

"The two of you approached Mr Daniels on the driveway where he was shown no mercy. He backed away from the two of you, but you continued to pursue him into a ginnel where the shots were fired.

Merciless

"This was a merciless and brutal attack on a defenceless victim - and for so little. It was an appalling offence and though you did not pull the trigger, you were jointly liable for this grave crime.

"The shock and horror that the crime must have had on the local community can easily be imagined."

In February last year a 24-year-old man alleged to have been the gunman, was acquitted after a Crown Court trial.

Greater Manchester Police say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the murder.

The judge told Otway he was sentencing him to life imprisonment, with a recommendation that he should serve a minimum of 28 years before being considered for parole - which after taking into account time already spent in custody, amounted to 27 years and three months.

Otway, from Clitheroe Road, Longsight, who has 13 previous court appearances behind him for 30 offences including possession of cocaine and heroin, showed no emotion as sentence was passed, and walked from the dock with his hands in his pockets.

A jury had earlier been told during the two week trial, that Otway left the Manchester city centre branch of Selfridges without finishing his shift the morning after the shooting.

Two years later, he was arrested by police after returning to Manchester on a flight from Qatar.

This was a merciless and brutal attack on a defenceless victim - and for so little

Judge Anthony Gee

 He later said he had returned to the UK to clear matters up, but then refused to co-operate with police, and refused to give evidence on his own behalf during the trial.

The judge thanked the investigating team, saying he knew full well of the difficulties they had faced.

"The officers responsible for conducting this inquiry in such a tenacious way, are to be commended" he said.

Judge Gee also paid tribute to the victim's mother Anne Marie Daniels who had been in court throughout the trial. Mrs Daniels said outside court:

"I have waited a long time for this, but justice has been done - for one person at least. Mark was a placid person with a four-year old daughter who doesn't even know her dad.

"All Mark was doing was sticking up for young ones on bikes. It's disgraceful that such a thing could happen for such a pathetic reason, but I hope the sentence sends out a strong message to others, particularly those involved with guns."
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