The life and crimes of 'Vain Crane'

Hiding behind the moniker "Vain Crane", Daniel Shepherd moved huge quantities of drugs. The 32-year-old was involved in handling almost half a million pounds in dirty cash.

He traded wholesale quantities of heroin, cocaine and cannabis - using the EncroChat communications platform to carry out his work. But this was not the full extent of Shepherd's criminal activity, the Liverpool Echo reports.

His connections to the underworld have seen him named as a key figure in criminal proceedings. "Vain Crane" previously almost severed a nurse's arm during a horror smash and was accused of supplying a gun used to kill 16-year-old Lewis Dunne in 2016.

READ MORE: Two more arrested after men shot and stabbed in 'targeted attack'

Having used the encrypted EncroChat platform for his work, Shepherd's device was then passed on to his younger brother following his arrest. Shepherd's criminal links have been well documented over the years, including being cited as a key figure in the trial of three men who were convicted of the execution of 16-year-old Lewis in 2016.

The Echo previously reported that Shepherd was accused in court of being the head of a crack and heroin ring and providing his underlings with the murder weapon. The "wholly innocent" teenager was killed by a single shotgun blast as he walked along on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal in Eldonian Village on the night of November 15 2015.

Jurors heard that Jake Culshaw, Paul Martin and his brother John Martin - as well as a fourth man who was never identified - may have shot Mr Dunne after mistaking him for a member of a rival gang. Shepherd was arrested in connection with the murder but released without charge and, at the time, had no convictions for supplying class A drugs.

During the trial, street dealer Culshaw described him as his "boss", who paid him to sell crack and heroin and who once tried to order him to "take a man's eye out" while he was in prison. In his defence statement, the killer said he saw John Martin hand the gun to a "runner" who allegedly worked for Shepherd after the murder.

Ian Unsworth QC, prosecuting, asked him: "It is your belief the shotgun came from Daniel Shepherd?" Culshaw replied: "Yes." Mr Unsworth continued: "Why do you think the shotgun came from Daniel Shepherd?" Culshaw said: "Because I'm not stupid."

John Martin also described Shepherd as "half my boss", but said he had no idea where the gun came from and claimed that Culshaw was responsible. Paul Martin, who labelled Shepherd as a "friend", was also questioned over phone calls he made to Shepherd moments after the three killers were attacked by their rivals, which led to the men "seeking revenge.".

Mr Unsworth told the jury that Culshaw, John and Paul Martin and another man were inside a stolen Mini Cooper which was rammed by a black Peugeot on Limekiln Lane in Vauxhall only hours before the shooting. A silver car was spotted taking Paul Martin and the other man out of the area while Shepherd ordered a Delta taxi for John Martin and Culshaw.

The prosecution silk said: "What were those calls about? We have heard evidence of a vehicle coming from the city area. We say it is obvious. That Daniel Shepherd was organising the escape."

Cell site evidence suggested the group had then converged in an area consistent with Shepherd's then address of Snowdrop Street in Kirkdale. After the murder, his phone again received calls from Paul Martin - who claimed he was not present when Mr Dunne was shot but could not provide any information on his whereabouts.

Mr Unsworth told the jury: "After this terrible incident, with all its devastating consequences, who did Paul Martin ring? Daniel Shepherd. He cannot tell us, just like he cannot tell us about a single minute of that day, what that call was about."

Culshaw and Paul Martin were jailed for life with a minimum term of 30 years for the murder of Mr Dunne. John Martin also received a life sentence with at least 28 years behind bars.

Shepherd himself then appeared in the dock in May 2017 after ending a district nurse's career in a horror crash. Her arm was partially severed when the drug-addled thug slammed into her car at 78mph while trying to escape police.

The disqualified driver, by now 25, was branded "disgusting" by a judge as the court heard how he fled the scene not knowing whether victim Suzanne Dunne was dead or alive. His first question to police officers when he was caught nearby was: "What evidence have you got?"

Liverpool Crown Court heard on this occasion that Mrs Dunne's Vauxhall Corsa was "catapulted" into a lamp post, leaving her with life-changing injuries and forcing her to give up the career she loved. Shepherd, then of Rumney Road West in Kirkdale, was locked up for four years and two months after admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

After passing sentence Judge Steven Everett told the complainant, who watched proceedings from the public gallery with her husband: "I'd have given him more if I could have."

Simon Duncan, prosecuting, outlined how officers driving an unmarked police car began following Shepherd's Audi on the morning of November 25 2015 when an onboard camera system flagged up false number plates. He realised he was being followed and sped onto Hawthorne Road in Litherland, where he tailgated a driver who was forced to pull to one side to let him pass at around 70mph.

Mrs Dunne, who was on her way to see a patient, had slowed at the junction of Hawthorne Road and Linacre Lane to allow a car in front of her to turn right. But Shepherd, who was four times over the legal limit for cannabis, had been driving on the wrong side of the road and swung back behind her to avoid hitting a bus.

Mr Duncan said police collision experts estimated Shepherd's speed at impact to have been around 78mph. Mrs Dunne suffered serious fractures to both arms but her right arm was almost severed, having to be surgically reattached.

She also had wounds to her scalp, was covered in extensive bruising and had to be cut free from her vehicle by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. Witnesses described Shepherd as emerging from the car before pulling up his hood and jogging away from the scene.

A statement from Mrs Dunne, read in court, described the moment she awoke in A&E. She said: "As a nurse, I knew something serious had happened. I was an extreme amount of pain and completely disorientated. My instinctive reaction was fear.

"I was afraid I was badly injured. I was afraid my own vehicle may have hurt someone else, I was concerned about the other driver. When I found out he had run from the scene, I was horrified and shocked. It hurt me that another human being could have run from the scene, not caring if I was alive or dead."

Shepherd, who matched the descriptions of witnesses, was picked up by officers not far from the scene out of breath. In reply to being cautioned and arrested, he said: "What evidence have you got?"

Judge Everett interjected at this stage, saying: "That's an impressive response isn't it? For all he knew the person in the car could have been dead and that was his response? Disgusting."

Mrs Dunne's statement said her injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder meant she was unable to carry on working as a nurse. She added: "I feel very fearful about what the future holds for me. Due to my physical injuries and mental health I'm no longer the woman I once was."

Paul Lewis, defending, stated that his client had two "people in his life" who were nurses and realised it was a "calling" not just a profession. Sentencing, Judge Everett said: "She is no longer able to work, or sleep properly, she is not able to use her arms properly.

"She unfortunately will always have the scars both physical and mental that you inflicted with your callous driving that day. They will never ever go away."

Shepherd, who already had previous convictions for dangerous driving and driving while disqualified, was also banned from the roads for 10 years. As he was escorted to the cells he told Mrs Dunne: "Sorry, I'm sorry for that love."

His next court appearance came less than a year later in January 2018, when he had another year added to his sentence after prison officers caught him with a lock knife in his trouser pocket during a routine search inside HMP Liverpool. His counsel William Beardmore said that he had run up a £200 debt while behind bars and had been asked to deliver the weapon to another prisoner in the gym in order to pay this sum back.

The same court then heard earlier this month that messages revealed when the network was infiltrated by the French police in 2020 showed Shepherd's involvement in the supply of 10kg of cocaine, 8kg of heroin and 2kg of cannabis, as well as the movement of nearly £500,000 in cash. He had 12 contacts stored on his Encro phone and was shown to have been in touch with nine of these associates.

Matthew Conway, prosecuting, described how his brother Michael Shepherd "inherited" the account after his older sibling was arrested on May 10, 2020, on suspicion of driving while disqualified and possession of bladed articles in a public place. Daniel Shepherd was said to have "operated below" the user of the handle "ZonePizza", who was later identified as being Lee McKune.

The 35-year-old, of no fixed address, was handed 12 years and three months in March. However, this sentence is being appealed by the crown.

Shepherd was also said to have "involved others in the operation", including tasking them with collecting drugs. He has a total of 32 previous convictions for 57 offences between 2009 and 2020.

Sam Parham, defending, highlighted concerns over the mental health of his client - who has been in custody since February 2022 - and told the court: "At times, Mr Shepherd may have been prone to exaggerating how easily he could come into possession of cocaine and heroin. He is doing jobs like picking up drugs on his motorbike."

Shepherd admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and cannabis. Appearing via video link wearing a green Nike zip-up top, he was jailed for 11-and-a-half years.

Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: "You were attributed to Vain Crane by the most compelling evidence until May 10, when you had to cease the use of the EncroChat phone because you had been arrested on other matters. This ceased your involvement in this conspiracy, your EncroChat phone however seems to have been picked up by your brother.

"Although you have previous convictions, these are not for anything as serious as the offences with which you are about to be sentenced. A full account is taken of your mental health difficulties.

"You have suffered significant deficiency in your communications, largely due it seems to ADHD and other mental health difficulties. It has impacted how you are managing in custody, which I am sure is difficult.

"You know all too well the harm that is done to people, to families and the community by the sale and distribution of class A and B drugs. They blight the health of those addicted to drugs, they destroy families and they have a massive impact on the wider community in terms of criminality. By participating in a conspiracy to supply these drugs, you have committed very serious offences."

After learning his sentence, Shepherd replied: "Mr Potter, I'm so sorry for what I've done. Thank you for my sentence, I really am sorry." He added to his counsel: "Thank you, Samuel. Thank you, sir."