LIVE: Anglesey crossbow murderer Terence Whall sentenced

Police investigation described as 'impressive'

Ms Pope say police investigation was very impressive - there was no eyewitnesses or other evidence at the time.

Previous convictions

Starting point of two years and a range of one to four, Ms Pope agrees for the arson for Martin Roberts and Darren Jones.

Ms Pope says Whall had convictions for criminal damage, failing to surrender to bail and having a bladed article.

Gavin Jones had previously been in jail with a sentence of 42 months for possession of controlled drugs and also two motoring offences.

Martin Roberts had seven convictions for 23 offences - a lot involving theft and also taking a motor vehicle without consent.

Darren Jones had 17 convictions for 25 offences involving theft and drugs.

Planning to burn the car

Whall and Gavin Jones were found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Whall had the car burned a couple of days after police talked to him.

Jones was heavily involved in the planning of the Land Rover arson. The planning was thought to have taken place over a couple of days before it was burned.

Martin Roberts and Darren Jones - who pleaded guilty to arson. Ms Pope said they were “both in it together” with a high degree of planning and a use of accelerant.

The whole intention was to destroy the vehicle, Ms Pope says. The insurance payment was in the region of £30,000.

No mitigating factors, say prosecution

Ms Pope says Whall was aware of the effect a crossbow and broadhead would have on Mr Whall and had watched videos of the effect on animals.

Ms Pope says they can’t identify any mitigating factors.

Gerald Corrigan 'deserved to feel safe'

Planning included putting the items in his vehicle’s boot two hours before he set off, says Ms Pope. It was highly likely he took latex glove to dsiguise evidence and destroyed his phone and had got rid of the crossbow used.

When police inquired all the broadheads and bolts Whall had bought had gone. Mr Corrigan was a vulnerable person who lived in an isolated property with a lady who suffered with MS.

It happened in the middle of the night at Mr Corrigan’s home where he “deserved to feel safe.”

Significant degree of planning involved

Ms Pope says the minimum term for Whall should be 30 years in jail. “The seriousness of the offence is particularly high.”

There are three cases similar to this case, says Ms Pope. This was a murder done for gain, although it is not known “what that gain was”. Whall was heavily in debt and there is a lack of motive or any other connection.

Justice Nerys Jefford said she would have to be satisfied by that to the appropriate criminal standard.

Ms Pope says the weapon used can be equated to a firearm. “It can be equivalent to if not more brutal than a firearm,” she says. It is a factor that makes it particularly serious.

Ms Pope says there is clear evidence Mr Corrigan was about to report an offence of fraud and a significant degree of planning that started some months before. Whall had bought the bolts and broadheads and there was evidence of target practice and he scoped Gof Du the night before

Daughter has nightmares after father's murder

Fiona Corrigan - the daughter of Mr Corrigan is giving her victim impact statement - its being read by Ms Pope for the prosecution.

“Hearing the news was just awful,” she just wanted to pull over and scream but couldn’t in case she didn’t make it to hospital in time.

One day they would have hope, but then the next day they would be asked to sign a “do not resuscitate” form.

“It was like signing a death warrant,” she said.

She has given up jogging because she doesn’t feel safe.

Now she suffers from nightmares, paranoia and panic attacks and screams and has started to self-harm.

“There are days when I can’t get out of bed” and her partner has to hold her to stop crying.

Her statement has finished.

Gerald Corrigan's son tells of heartache

Neil Corrigan is giving an impact statement. He is Mr Corrigan’s son. He told how they had to travel to see their father wired up to machines and helicoptered to a hospital hundreds of miles away.

It was painful to hear how his father had been attacked in such a vicious way.

“We had three weeks watching our mobiles. We watched as he writhed in pain and discomfort. He was put in a coma to keep him alive, but there was nothing we could do. We could only watch and desperately pray,” Mr Corrigan said.

At one point they thought he may survive, but three days later they were recalled and he was put back into an induced coma again.

He tells how they had to take the painful decision to remove life support. He fought for five hours and then stopped breathing at 5am in the morning.

“How could someone choose to use such a barbaric weapon on and old man? Did they really want to cause him a slow painful death?” Mr Corrigan said.

Mr Corrigan said he could have lost his job “but God kept me safe”.

He is going for counselling and questioning whether he should tell his children whether their grandfather was murdered.

“I hope one day I can remember the good times and stop being traumatised by bad memories,” said Mr Corrigan. His victim impact statement has now finished.

Killer blasted as 'evil'

“The person responsible for his murder cannot take his memories away from me, no matter how evil his actions were,” Ms Bailey said.

Her statement has now finished.

Partner tells how she watched him die in hospital

She says how she saw him die over a period of time at Stoke Hospital.

“His body was broken, damaged beyond repair and I had to watch him slowly die”

She had to watch the person she had loved for 30 years die.

“Now he is gone I feel I have a lesser life I have an ache and emptiness that will not stop.”

'I am now left with the image of his life blood spilling out into the hall'

Mr Corrigan’s partner Marie Bailey is reading her victim impact statement.

She says Gerry was an “exceptional man” of “intellect” who also her carer “he was quick witted and the best person to have around and had a story for every occasion. I miss him so much he was my love.

He was in good health “In a crisis Gerry was the best person to have around” “he always knew the best thing to do”. Now she is alone.

“I will miss his great big bear hugs”

She tells how she has MS and says “I am absolutely devastated to lose him. My desperation is overwhelming. It’s a living hell.”

She adds: “Gerry didn’t have chance, his back was turned and he had no chance to defend himself. “She tells how she was asleep upstairs and couldn’t help.

“I am now left with the image of his life blood spilling out into the hall” Ms Bailey said. The pain “must have been excruciating”

“I was helpless.” she adds.

Whall claimed he was unaware car had been stolen

On June 3 Whall enabled someone to have access to his car - took his wife to the dentist, taking him out of the situation. At 12.15pm it travelled to Bangor and parked up when Martin Roberts joined Darren Jones and Gavin Jones. It was then driven to the burn site at a former quarry

Police arrived to tell Whall of the theft - he produced both keys and said he was unaware it was stolen.

Telematics placed the Land Rover at murder scene

Whall and Gavin Jones had attended at Richard Wyn Lewis address and were arrested and a few days later. Whall’s Land Rover was discovered burned out and telematics from it placed him at the murder scene.

Regarding the burning of the Land Rover, prosecution say there was communication to make arrangements to burn the vehicle. On June 3 there were calls between Gavin Jones and Darren Jones to “finalise arrangements”.

Whall waited behind a wall with a crossbow to shoot Gerald Corrigan

Ms Pope is giving an overview to the court now. She says Whall on April 18 2019 attended the home address of Mr Corrigan - had a crossbow - and had attended the night before to prepare - he waited behind a wall.

He got Mr Corrigan to go outside by tampering with the Sky dish and shot him - he returned to Porthdafarch Beach and destroyed a phone.

Two plead guilty to arson

Anna Pope for the prosecution says Martin Robert and Darren Jones pleaded guilty to arson earlier in the trial.

Four in the dock

Court is back in session and the four defendants are in the dock.

Case called to court

All parties have been called to court and sentencing is about to get underway.

Sentencing due to start soon

Sentencing was due to start at 10.30am but it appears court has not quite got underway just yet.

The timeline of events that led to and followed brutal murder

Here is how the case unfolded, from the day Mr Corrigan was shot to the day the jury gave their verdicts.

Crossbow killer Terence Whall thought he'd committed the perfect murder - but he was wrong

Terence Michael Whall thought he had committed the perfect murder, when he shot and killed Gerald Corrigan on Good Friday of ast year. There was no forensic evidence, no direct eye witness to the shooting and no one saw him going to and from the scene of Mr Corrigan’s house at Gof Du near Holyhead.

Any evidence was circumstantial and Whall thought he was going to get away with it. But lead investigator Det Chief Inspector Brian Kearney said the case against him began to build when the public, businesses and experts joined forces to provide vital parts of the jigsaw. Read the full story.

Gavin Jones’ brother, Darren Dennis Jones, 41, of The Bryn Ogwen Estate, Penrhosgarnedd and Martin Roberts 34, of James Street, Bangor, changed their pleas during the trial and admitted the arson of the vehicle.

They will be sentenced alongside Whall and Gavin Jones today.

Land Rover was destroyed to hide evidence

Whall claimed he had “coincidentally” been having a sexual encounter with Thomas Barry Williams- a claim Mr Williams denied - in the field outside Gof Du, about the same time another man with a crossbow was shooting Mr Corrigan. But the jury did not believe that and found Whall guilty of Mr Corrigan’s murder.

The Land Rover Whall used - which belonged to his partner - was found burned out on June 3 in a disused quarry at Llanllechid. Whall and his friend, 36-year-old Gavin Jones, of High Street, Bangor, were found guilty of plotting to destroy it, to hide evidence linked to the murder.

Whall used crossbow 'capable of slaying a bear'

Whall shot the 74-year-old pensioner outside his rural home at Gof Du, near Holyhead, shortly after midnight on April 19 2019.

During the trial, the court heard that the bolt was capable of killing a bear.

Earlier this week, a jury of six men and six women took two days to unanimously find Whall guilty of murder.

He and co-accused, Gavin Jones were also found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Whall, 39 of of Bryngwran, Anglesey, had “scoped” Mr Corrigan’s property on the evening of April 17, driving there in a Land Rover Discovery.

He then returned on the night of April 18, in the “murder vehicle” and lay in wait behind a wall and hedge, that bounded Mr Corrigan’s property.

Whall then executed him in cold blood with a single bolt that punctured straight through his body, after the pensioner came to adjust his SKY TV satellite dish outside.

It left Mr Corrigan with a broken arm, heavy bleeding and devastating internal injuries of which he later died of in hospital.

Sentencing today

Terence Whall will be sentenced today for the murder of Gerald Corrigan.

Whall, 39, of Bryngwran, was found guilty of killing the pensioner with a crossbow.

We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates from court.