Reece Sands was at McDonald’s with his girlfriend when a hail of bullets was fired towards an alleyway where two men had been standing moments earlier
Reece Sands, of Bigdale Drive in Kirkby, aged 23(Image: Merseyside Police)
A mechanic whose DNA was found on a gun used in a drive-by shooting was seriously assaulted in prison while “not aligning with” his co-defendants. Reece Sands was at McDonald’s with his girlfriend when a hail of bullets was fired from a BMW towards an alleyway where two men had been standing only seconds earlier.
Having initially pleaded not guilty to charges, he was ultimately left “keen to align” with his co-accused following the behind bars attack and admitted conspiracy to possess the Glock pistol, which was found alongside another firearm and £50,000 inside a Sports Direct bag. The 23-year-old was left in tears today as he, Thomas Beverage, Johnathon Ford and Keiran Ingle and Reece Sands were handed a combined total of nearly 35 years behind bars.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday that Beverage, Ford and Ingle were present in the stolen BMW when the three bullets were fired from a Glock pistol towards an open metal gate on Wulstan Street in Kirkdale, an “area associated with the Flowers organised crime group”, on the evening of July 26 last year. Two other unidentified men were said to have been standing in the same vicinity “moments beforehand”, having “dived behind the gate” as the shots were discharged.
Holly Menary, prosecuting, described how “preparations started some days earlier”, with Ford having booked Beverage a hotel room in Birmingham for the night of July 25. He and Ingle then travelled to the West Midlands in order to collect their co-defendant in the afternoon before the shooting.
With the hotel booking extended for a further night in a “move designed to act as cover for the drive-by shooting”, their Hyundai Santa Fe was later seen travelling along Stanley Road at around 6pm, with the front seat passenger having “put his hand out of the window and made a gun gesture” as the diesel vehicle passed Wulstan Street. While they then travelled towards Walkden House Farm in Bickerstaffe, where the BMW used in the shooting had been stored, Ford was shown exiting the car at a BP garage en route and filling up a jerry can with £16 of petrol.
Johnathon Ford, of Lincoln Crescent in Bootle, aged 32(Image: Merseyside Police)
Sands’ grey Audi A3 was also shown travelling in the direction of the farm at the same time, with all four having arrived in the area by 8.30pm. The stolen vehicle was meanwhile “modified to make it completely unidentifiable” by affixing an Irish registration at the rear and covering the front plate with a “thin layer of film that would obscure it to cameras”.
The Audi was shown returning to the Kirkby area after the BMW left for Wulstan Street, with the car having passed by the two apparent targets before performing a U-turn and returning as the shooting was carried out. Two of the fired bullets became lodged in the gate while the third was “lost”, with the prosecution unable to prove which of the three defendants inside the car had acted as the gunman.
With the BMW later returned to the farm, the Hyundai subsequently seen travelling to Ford’s mum’s home on Lincoln Crescent in Bootle. He got out of the vehicle and entered the address while Ingle and Beverage approached a nearby communal bin area.
The latter was seen “carrying something in his front pocket” at this stage, an object which no longer appeared to be in his possession when he then re-entered the car. Police executed a search warrant on the property on August 27 2025, with Ford’s mum having “called him immediately” upon the attendance of officers.
Thomas Beverage, of Miranda Road South in Kirkdale, aged 25(Image: Merseyside Police)
They went on to discover a large Sports Direct bag containing a Glock self loading pistol, a Taurus revolver, a quantity of ammunition and class A drugs in the refuse area. The former weapon was later confirmed to be the gun used in the shooting, with Sands’ DNA found on an internal part of the firearm and Ford’s found on the magazine port and handle.
His DNA was similarly found on the revolver, with that of Ingle being detected on the handle of the Sports Direct bag. The drugs contained within were said to amount to 596g of crack cocaine and 46.9 of heroin, boasting a street value of at least £50,000.
Police meanwhile attended the farm the following day and recovered the BMW, with traces of Ford’s DNA found on the steering wheel. The 32-year-old, of Lincoln Crescent, has a total of 13 previous convictions for 20 offences, including possession of class A drugs with intent to supply in 2013 and being concerned in the supply of class A drugs in 2023.
His barrister Stephen McNally said: “The court can proceed on the basis that the main incident was of an intimidatory nature rather than having any more malevolent intent. The defendant refers to something which he considers to be something of sliding doors moment, a moment when he had the prospect of full time employment in Leeds. That would have taken him out of Liverpool. It would have given him legitimate employment.
“Regrettably, that was not employment that could be approved by the Probation Service. He remained where he was in Liverpool. He accepts that, frustrated with a variety of aspects of his life at that time, he allowed himself to be drawn back into a sphere he had been keen to escape.
“Mr Ford states that he is aware he has done wrong and has to pay the consequences. Emotionally, he is already paying the consequences of the recent period in his life. He lost his father during the currency of his last sentence. That weighs heavily. He feels that he has let him down. He is a father himself now. He has a four-year-old son. He has felt the emotional impact of his young son coming to visit him in prison. It is a pain that he feels keenly.”
Beverage, of Miranda Road South in Kirkdale, has 17 earlier convictions for 26 offences, including conspiracy to supply class B drugs in 2020. Matthew Buckland, defending, told the court that the 25-year-old had been diagnosed with ADHD and had a “lack of maturity”, adding: “He only has one previous conviction for any offence of violence. That is an offence of battery, and that is of some antiquity.
“There is a note from Mr Beverage. It simply expresses an apology to the court for his behaviour, his wishes for the future and how he intends to apply himself while he is in jail.”
Ingle, formerly of Alderney Road in Vauxhall, has a criminal record containing three convictions for “non-like” offences. Nicola Daley, representing the 27-year-old, said on his behalf: “All I can ask your honour to consider is that he does remain a relatively young man.
“He has a supportive family, parents that are both at court today, and he knows that he needs to change to be able to properly engage with them, because they disapprove of this lifestyle and those he was associating with. I submit that there is a potential for change. He simply wishes to use the time and serve his sentence and then be released.”
Keiran Ingle, formerly of Alderney Road in Vauxhall, aged 27(Image: Merseyside Police)
Sands, of Bigdale Drive in Kirkby, has five earlier convictions for 18 dissimilar offences. His counsel Richard Reynolds added: “He was not party to the conspiracy to use the gun. During this time, he is in a McDonald’s with his girlfriend.
“The defendant ran a bike mechanic premises where the gun was stored. He had no knowledge of purposes. All he knew was that the gun was there. He is not to be sentenced for what was done with the firearm.
“He, by the by, while in custody, suffered a grievous bodily harm during the period when he was not aligning with others. I can say no more than that. Following the situation in custody, the defendant was keen to align. He has pleaded to being involved in a conspiracy to possess, but not a conspiracy to shoot at anyone in any circumstances.”
Ford pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and two counts of conspiracy to possess a firearm, as well as conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine. Family members were seen in tears as he was jailed for 13 years and eight months and handed an additional two years on licence.
Beverage admitted conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, two counts of conspiracy to possess a firearm and possession of ammunition without a certificate. He was locked up for eight years and four months and given an extended licence period of a year and eight months.
Ingle admitted conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, conspiracy to possess a firearm and possession of ammunition without a certificate. He was imprisoned for seven-and-a-half years and told to serve an additional two-and-a-half years on licence.
Sands pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a firearm. He appeared close to tears, with his bottom lip quivering, as he was jailed for five years, after which he was seen wiping his eyes with his t-shirt as he was led to the cells.
Reece Sands, of Bigdale Drive in Kirkby, aged 23(Image: Merseyside Police)
Sentencing, Judge Stuart Driver KC said: “On the 26th of July 2025, three bullets were fired from the Glock. Two were embedded in an alley gate in a residential street. We do not know where the third ended up.
“Shortly before the weapon was discharged, two men were standing near the open alley gates. Then they hid briefly and, shortly after the discharge, they re-emerged. They must have been close when the bullets flew in their approximate direction.
“Maximum fear was intended, and there was significant planning. The circumstances I have just described created a high risk of death or serious injury and serious disorder. It is a prohibited weapon, subject to the five-year minimum term, and it was held with another weapon and ammunition.
“I must consider whether any of Ford, Beverage and Ingle are dangerous offenders. The facts of count two are grave. As I have mentioned, two men were close to the path of the bullets which were discharged in a residential street. This city has a terrible history of innocent victims being hit by stray bullets.
“Each of the first three defendants agreed that those three bullets should be fired in that place at that time, and they participated in days of careful planning to do so. Although their intent was to cause fear of violence, each planned and agreed that this highly dangerous act would take place
“The pre-sentence report for each of those three finds that they present either a high or very high risk of serious harm to the public. I have reached the conclusion, in each, case that there is a significant risk that he will cause serious harm to members of the public by the commission of further specified offences in the future and, in each case, an extended determinate sentence is necessary for the protection of members of the public.”
Shouts of “love you” and “see you later lad” were heard from the public gallery as the four men were taken from the dock. Merseyside Police’s Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson said following the hearing: “To use a firearm in a residential street is truly shocking, and it’s only right that all four men have been jailed for their actions.
“We were able to gather enough evidence to show that this was a pre-planned shooting which had been organised days in advance. These men clearly have no regard for anyone else who lives in the area and for the safety of the wider community.
“I hope this investigation shows how we will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of those who think they can store and use guns in Merseyside. Our detectives are fully committed to removing firearms from our streets and bringing those who carry them to justice. We would ask our communities to continue to help us by coming forward and telling us about criminality in their area so we can make Merseyside a safer place to work and live.”