Murderer who went on run jailed for Tameside drugs turf war shooting

Image source, GMP

Image caption,

Callum Halpin, 28, was arrested in Portugal in May 2022

A man who went on the run for four years after murdering a father-of-two in a "drugs turf war" has been jailed.

Luke Graham, 31, was shot in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside in June 2018 as children played nearby, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

Callum Halpin, 28 and from Manchester, was arrested in Portugal after he featured in the National Crime Agency's list of the UK's most wanted fugitives.

He was jailed for life at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

He was ordered to serve a minimum of 30 years after being found guilty of murder.

Mr Graham was found injured on Birch Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, on 13 June 2018 and later died in hospital.

A force representative previously said he was shot while sitting in a van which had been lured to the street by a phone call.

'Very dangerous individual'

Halpin's accomplice Wade Cox, who police said "burst out" of a house and shot Mr Graham, was jailed for life for murder in 2019, while four other men were also jailed in connection with the killing.

At the time of his arrest, the National Crime Agency said Halpin had first been declared a suspect in July 2018 and was added to the UK's most wanted list in early 2022.

Halpin was also found guilty of wounding the van's other occupant and ordered to serve a seven-year sentence concurrently.

Speaking after sentencing, Det Insp Lee Barrow said the murder had been "carried out on a residential street with children having to run to cover".

"Halpin had been on the run since Luke was fatally shot on that tragic day and it has been our intention ever since to ensure all those suspected of being responsible for his death are caught and prosecuted," he said.

"Halpin is a very dangerous individual who has finally been brought to justice."

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