Police hunt man who assisted fugitive murderers

Police in Cumbria are hunting a man who helped the killers of Carlisle man Ryan Kirkpatrick while they were on the run.

Ross Neville pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and was sentenced in December to a Community Payback Order.

That sentence was increased yesterday at the Appeal Court to an immediate prison term of one year and ten months, under the Unduly Lenient Scheme. 

Neville was ordered to report to police in Carlisle by 6:00pm yesterday but failed to turn up.

Police have now launched a hunt for him. 

Detective Chief Superintendent Mick Bird said: “With Neville having failed to attend, we would ask the public to report any sightings of this man.

“We do not consider him a danger to the public but we would ask people not to approach him if they see him. They should instead contact us on 999 as soon as possible.

“We would also urge Neville to come forward to officers if seeing this appeal.”

Neville was originally sentenced in December 2022 at Carlisle Crown Court alongside Olivia Memmory, 22, and Michael Celmins, 32, following the sentencing of Kane Hull and Liam Porter, who were both jailed for life in October 2022 for the murder of Mr Kirkpatrick.

Hull and Porter had gone on the run after Mr Kirkpatrick was stabbed to death in Carlyle’s Court.

Neville, Celmins and Memmory assisted Hull and Porter as they tried to evade police.

Celmins, of Irthington, Carlisle, was originally sentenced to one year in jail. His sentence was increased to two years.

Memmory, of Cummersdale, near Carlisle was jailed for 19 months. Her sentence remains unchanged.

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