Three men convicted of murdering Rikki Berry in a brutal e-bike ambush receive life sentences.

Three men have been jailed for life after ruthlessly gunning down Rikki Berry outside his girlfriend’s home in Kirkby. The 36-year-old father, known as “Nuggy,” was shot three times at close range by a masked assassin on an electric bike in a chilling attack on 17 July last year.

Liverpool Crown Court found Michael Smith, Adam Williams, and Connor Walsh guilty of his murder last week. The trio, who also faced charges of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, returned to court today for sentencing.

Smith, the gunman, and Williams, the driver of a car that moved in convoy with the e-bike, both received life sentences with a minimum term of 31 years. Walsh, whose DNA was discovered on a bullet casing at the scene, was jailed for at least 30 years. None of the men reacted as they learned their fate.

Judge Andrew Menary KC left no doubt about their intent. “You were all at the scene for a purpose, and that purpose was to shoot and kill Mr Berry,” he said. “It is not possible to determine why he was targeted, but what is clear is that his murder was brutal, calculated, and completely unjustified.”

CCTV footage proved the gang worked together to execute Berry in a coordinated attack. While the motive remains unknown, all three were involved in the supply of Class A drugs. “Perhaps this was linked to the drug trade, or perhaps it stemmed from a personal dispute,” the judge speculated. “But whatever the reason, it was utterly futile. One life is gone, and all three of yours are now wasted behind bars.”

The court heard that Berry’s family had been left shattered by his murder. His loved ones, forced to relive the horror of his death in court, were given no closure as the killers remained silent about their reasons.

As the sentences were handed down, the reality of their actions became inescapable—three lives condemned to decades in prison, and one stolen forever in a hail of bullets.