A CRIMINAL trying to carry out a drive-by shooting accidentally shot dead his best friend who was sitting in the passenger seat.

Anthony "Leech" McGivern shot Kevin Gott in the back of the head at point-blank range while trying to fire at a rival gang in Liverpool on August 30 last year. The pair had fallen out with the gang over drugs, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

McGivern and Gott (both 25) took a 9mm gun and a stolen Ford Fiesta to carry out the attack. McGivern tried to drive and fire at the same time, and hit his friend..

He was convicted of murder because he had intended to hurt or kill. Judge Clement Goldstone jailed McGivern for a minimum of 30 years.

Irish Independent