Mum of Wigan murder victim Christopher Hughes tells court how she is caring for his daughter

The four-year-old has been left fatherless after her dad was brutally slaughtered by vigilante gang members who wrongly believed he was a knifepoint rapist.

Seven men convicted of abducting and murdering the 37-year-old former boxer and an eighth man, Curtis Balbas, who admitted those offences, are to be sentenced tomorrow (Thursday February 9) at Liverpool Crown Court.

Mr Hughes had been audaciously snatched off Almond Street, Wigan in broad daylight “in a slick move” and bundled into the boot of a blue Audi A4 on February 18 last year following a determined 24 hour manhunt for him by the gang, said John Elvidge, KC, prosecuting.

Balbas, 30, of Matheson Drive, Worsley Hall, was accompanied by Erland Spahiu, an Albanian, who worked with him enforcing vehicle re-possessions with the threats of violence.

They drove their helpless victim, who was desperately asking from the boot, "What have I done wrong?” to an isolated country road in Skelmersdale.

A man who witnessed the kidnapping had been warned by Spahiu, “keep your f...ing mouth shut, or you’re next”.

Mr Hughes was taken from the boot on arrival at White Moss Road South, near the M58, and horrifically subjected to “a tortuous attack” with two knives including a machete.

In the vicious and sadistic assault the two men hacked him to death, inflicting at least 90 sharp wounds to his head, body and limbs including injuries to his intimate areas, having lowered his clothing.

They then left his mutilated body at the scene on a grassy embankment, abandoned to the winter elements, where he was found by a dog walker four days later.

On the evening after the killing 34-year-old Spahiu, who lives in the same road as the murder scene, accompanied by his cousin Erion Voja, who was visiting from London, Dean O’Neill Davey and Andruis Uzkuraitis, formed a burial party to hide the body.

The men, equipped with a spade, wellies, gloves, bottles of bleach and bin bags purchased for them from Asda by sisters of Balbas, were digging a grave on nearly waste land when they were disturbed by police who were investigating a road traffic accident nearby and they abandoned the burial.

In an impact statement the victim’s mum, Susan Hudson, said that the lives of her, his father, sisters, daughter and wider family unit ”will never be complete again.”

She said that losing a child at any age was devastating and “although he was an adult he was still my child.

“The death of Christopher, my child, leaves us with love we can no longer give him …and a feeling that in some vital way we failed to keep him from harm.”

She continued that the decision by the killers to use their hands as tools for their perceived “justice and revenge” and to take his life “scars my heart.”

Mrs Hudson said that his body had been “discarded like it didn’t matter as if a living soul could be disposed of like a piece of litter. I cannot imagine the level of pain Christopher went through in the moments of his death.

“It is truly the script of a nightmare that my family have been cast as characters to endure further suffering.”

She said that the family have to try to rebuild their lives and take care of his daughter after the tragedy and explained "we are determined it will not shape her."

His mum said they will continue to love and care for her and give her happiness.

In another impact statement Karen Charnock, who witnessed the shocking abduction outside her home and called the police, told how she had been left living in fear of retribution by the gang.

She said that after seeing Mr Hughes forced into the car “I was shaking from head to toe and tried to get into my phone but couldn’t because I was shaking too much. I knew I couldn’t ignore it and do nothing and had to call the police.”

Mrs Charnock said she had been left feeling she had not done enough to help the victim and still gets upset about it and “feeling extremely guilty.”

She has been on medication because of it ever since and finds that even when talking to people about unrelated matters her mind always goes back to the incident.

Also at the hearing defence barristers presented their mitigation with all except those representing Balbas and Spahiu arguing that their clients had played a secondary role as they were not actually involved in the killing itself.

It was generally conceded that they had expected Mr Hughes to receive a severe beating but had not anticipated knives being used in the attack.

At the end of the trial last month Uzkuraitis, a 27-year-old Lithuanian, of Holly Road, Worsley Hall, was cleared of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. He was however convicted of assisting an offender and is also to be sentenced tomorrow.

His barrister, Peter Moulson said it was accepted that he had taken steps to delete CCTV footage, assisted as a look out for the burial party and contacted someone about destroying the Audi, which was later found by police cut into pieces at a unit at Douglas Mill.

The eight to be sentenced for murder and kidnapping are - Balbas, Spahiu, O’Neill Davey, 30, of Conrad Close; Martin Smith, 34, of Greenwood Avenue: Alan Jaf, 52, of Ridyard Street; Khalil Awla, 48, of Greenwood Avenue; Mohammed Razgar, 40, of Plane Avenue, - all in Wigan - and Voja, 21, of Peall Road, Croydon, London.