Billy Livesley's murderer and his accomplice stole tools night before attack in Wigan

David Connors was jailed for life after hitting 21-year-old Billy Livesley on the head with a prybar on a car park on Bickershaw Lane, Abram, on December 28, 2018.

He fled in a Ford Transit Connect van being driven by his cousin Jimmy Price, who abandoned it on Belmont Avenue, Bickershaw, shortly afterwards.

Connors, 27, was convicted of murder in July and must serve at least 17 years in prison. Price, 23, is currently serving a 34-month prison sentence for perverting the course of justice and other unrelated offences.

During the murder trial, Connors said the prybar had been used to steal tools the night before.

Now, Price has appeared at Bolton Crown Court for his involvement in burgling Ropetech Access Solutions, on Wigan Road, Westhoughton, using the same van.

Price, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to the burglary and criminal damage.

The Honorary Recorder of Bolton, Judge Martin Walsh, was told Connors had also admitted his part in the burglary but, as he is already serving a life prison sentence, it was not in the public interest to charge him with the crime.

Brian Berlyne, prosecuting, told how Ropetech boss Stefan Young had received a call from another business on December 28 to tell him there had been a break-in at his yard.

“There was a large hole in the roof of the building,” said Mr Berlyne, who added that the intruders had piled up wooden pallets and used them to climb onto the fibreglass roof.

Several boxes of power tools, including grinders and drills, worth a total of £20,000 were taken.

Repairs to the building cost almost £4,500 and in a victim statement, Mr Young told how he had to spend further sums on increasing security.

The court heard that a woman living nearby had spotted someone running through the area at 10.15pm, putting a box on the ground and a van reversing towards it.

“CCTV showed four people carrying items towards a white van – the same van suspected of being used the day after this incident, in an offence of murder, said Mr Berlyne.

The stolen tools were transferred to a second van. Both vehicles were found by police and almost all the power tools were recovered.

Brendan O’Leary, defending, stressed that Price had admitted his part in the burglary prior to the murder trial and so could have been sentenced in July, at the same time as he was jailed for perverting the course of justice.

“There is simply no justification for the fact that this offence was not dealt with,” said Mr O’Leary.

Price is due to be released from his current sentence in September.

Judge Walsh sentenced him to 16 months in prison for the burglary, to run concurrently with the sentence he is already serving.

“There doesn’t appear to be any acceptable reason why it has taken until today’s date for you to be dealt with for this burglary,” he told Price.