Man accused of Rikki Berry murder denies being 'drug dealing mafia boss'

A man accused of the murder of Rikki Berry has denied being a "drug dealing mafia boss". Adam Williams is one of three men currently on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of murdering the 36-year-old dad, who was known as "Nuggy" and died after being shot three times by an assailant on an electric bike outside his girlfriend's house on Quarryside Drive in Kirkby on July 17 last year.

He and his co-defendant Connor Walsh are alleged to have performed a "reconnaissance mission" on the address in advance of the attack before travelling in convoy alongside the balaclava-clad shooter in a black SUV during the drive-by. A third man, Michael Smith, admits being the gunman but is expected to claim that "his intention was simply to frighten Mr Berry".

Williams, of Hamblett Crescent in St Helens, continued giving evidence to a jury of eight men and four women for a second day today, Wednesday. The 26-year-old claims that he stopped his car ahead of the e-bike before the shots were fired as his passenger, Ryan Westhead, had heard Mr Berry shouting in their direction.

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Under cross-examination from David McLachan KC, prosecuting, he was asked about a phone call with a friend of the deceased, Stephen Frail, five days after the shooting in the context of rumours that he had been involved in the incident. During this conversation, Williams was said to have stated that he believed "that Surron was for me lad".

But he conceded: "That was a lie, yeah. At the time, I didn't want to put my mate on that bike. You don't want to grass someone up where we're from. That’s not what you do."

Mr McLachlan put to him: "You're grassing your mate up there. You're from Kirkby, playing by the rules in Kirkby. You don't grass people up. Who's grassing him up?"

Williams replied "I've put him on the bike, I am yeah". He was then asked, in reference to Walsh: "Is he grassing him up as well?"

But Williams said in response to this: "That’s for him to say. I can’t be certain what he’s going to say when he gets on that stand."

Mr McLachlan said that Williams had "grassed up Mr Smith" in his updated defence statement, in which a defendant is required to set out their case in advance of a trial. This was submitted on January 29, while Walsh lodged his own updated defence statement on January 27.

He told the court that he had "spoke to" his co-accused in advance of doing so on Wednesday last week. But he added: "Whatever he discusses with his legal team isn't for me."

Asked whether he had handed himself into the police following the shooting, Williams replied: "I ran away and stopped. I panicked, there were all guns. I panicked. What can I say? My intention was to always hand myself in."

Mr McLachlan then referred to the questions he was asked by detectives during his subsequent interview, saying: "What do you know about the murder of Rikki Berry? Where were you? Tell me your mobile number. Tell us about your movements on the 27th of July. What did you say?"

Williams told jurors: "I was under advice of my legal team to say no comment to all of these questions, so that’s what I done. I did answer no comment to all questions, but I was under legal advice. I could have answered every one of them. I was just following legal advice. I didn't answer the questions, no."

The prosecution silk put to him that he had been "biding his time", "waiting to see how the case was going to pan out" and "seeing what Connor Walsh was going to do". But Williams responded: "Definitely not."

He added: "A defence statement is not everything. No matter what you put in that, he’s going to try and twist it and make it look like I'm the worst human being in the world. You're trying to twist everything I say."

When asked whether "the prosecution were twisting the fact that he had not mentioned drug dealing" in his original defence statement, Williams said: "I didn't mention it. You would have made it look like I was a drug dealing mafia boss. That's not the case. I'm just someone who stopped their car when someone shouted. I had absolutely no idea that was going to happen whatsoever."

Mr McLachlan also put to him that he was "prepared, late in the day, to throw Michael Smith under the bus". Williams replied: "Because I'm innocent. I had no choice."

Accused of "acting together with Connor Walsh" and being a "little team together", he responded: "no, definitely not". Williams added when it was stated that he and his co-accused were "off to a job together": "I would never take a man away from his kids. I'd never do that, ever.

"If that was the case, why would I follow him round, watch him do it and get off? He shouted something at my car. I had no idea that was going to happen.

"I'd never be there in my own car. The police stopped me 12 days before, took my reg and knew I was in that car. I stopped the car to see what he was shouting."

When Mr McLachlan put to him that the "car and bike were operating in tandem", Williams said: "It wasn't operating in tandem. Someone shouted at my car. I stopped my car. My nan lived there [on Quarryside Drive]. If I really wanted to watch him get shot, I would have stood in my nan's garden.

"Ryan said 'Nuggy's shouting something'. [Mr Berry] put something on the floor then took a step towards the car. It didn't sound like gunshots at first. When I saw the firearm, that's when I realised it was gunshots. I just panicked. I put my foot down. It just sounded like bangs. It didn't sound like gunshots at the time."

Mr McLachlan further accused the defendants of being "in it together to shoot a man dead", to which Williams responded: "I've never hated anyone enough in my life to want them shot dead. I've never had any issues with Nuggy. I never had beef with his mates."

All three defendants deny murder and possession of a prohibited weapon with intent to endanger life. Smith, aged 25 and of Marbury Road, pleaded guilty to the lesser offences of manslaughter and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence on Tuesday morning.

Williams and Walsh have pleaded not guilty to these charges. The trial, before the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC, continues.