Dramatic twist in Wigan dad Christopher Hughes's murder trial as one of the defendants admits his guilt

One of the men accused of murdering a Wigan dad has dramatically changed his plea midway through the trial.
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Curtis Balbas suddenly admmitted to murdering 37-year-old Christopher Hughes, who was stabbed more than 90 times and left to bleed to death in a country lane.

Balbas, 30, of Matheson Drive, Worsley Hall, had pleaded guilty to kidnapping the victim, who was suspected of the knifepoint rape of a teenage girl, at the start of the Liverpool Crown Court trial, but had denied killing him.

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Christopher Hughes with his mum SusanChristopher Hughes with his mum Susan
Christopher Hughes with his mum Susan
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But after the change of plea, the jury has now formally found him guilty of murder on the judge's direction and he is to be sentenced at the end of the trial early next year.

Eight other men still deny the murder and kidnapping allegations and also deny conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.

One of them, Erland Spahiu, 34, is formerly of Uppingham, Skelmersdale, but he told the jury that he moved to his current home in nearby Whitemoss Road South.

Liverpool Crown Court has heard that is the same road where the body of Mr Hughes was found on February 22 by a dog walker, four days after he had been bundled into the boot of Balbas’s Audi and driven there and brutally killed.

Liverpool Crown CourtLiverpool Crown Court
Liverpool Crown Court
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John Elvidge, KC, prosecuting, alleges that Spahiu was a passenger in the Audi and jumped out along with Balbas and was involved in punching Mr Hughes to the ground and shoving him into the boot.

Spahiu told the jury that he came to the UK in 2011 and initially lived in London but moved to the North West in 2014.

He said that he worked as an electrician in his homeland but after moving to the North West he was a delivery driver.

After selling some land in Albania he said he used the money to buy a car wash business which was where he met some of the other defendants.

His evidence was unexpectedly interrupted after a juror became unwell and the case was adjourned.

Also in the dock are: O’Neill Davey, 30, of Conrad Close, formerly of Bulteel Street, Pemberton; Martin Smith, 34, of Greenwood Avenue, Worsley Hall: Andrius Uzkuraitis, 27, of Holly Road, Worsley Hall; Mohammed Razgar, 40, of Plane Avenue, Worsley Hall; Alan Jaf, 52, of Ridyard Street, Worsley Hall; Khalil Awla, 48, also of Greenwood Avenue, and Erion Voja, 21, of Peall Road, Croydon, London.

Michael Gibbons, 47, of Bulteel Street, denies perverting the course of justice in the aftermath of the murder involving providing false information to the police and helping O’Neill Davey to dispose of the blue Audi car allegedly used to kidnap Mr Hughes.

It is alleged that Balbas and another seven bar Gibbons, were members of a vigilante gang which went in search of Mr Hughes after it was alleged that he had raped a girl.

Earlier in the trial Jaf had implicated Balbas as a killer.

Proceeding