Description
Simon Allen, one of three men convicted of murdering grandmother Jackie Rutter—who was shot on her doorstep in Moreton, Wirral, in October 2022—has been revealed as a convicted child sex offender, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Allen, James Byrne, and David Harrison were unanimously found guilty of murder at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, January 28. Barrie Glynn was convicted of manslaughter by a 10-2 majority. All four were also unanimously convicted of possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, plus arson. The jury deliberated for 15 hours and 15 minutes; sentencing is set for Thursday.
Prosecutors alleged the shooting stemmed from a "robbery" or "taxing" after Rutter's sons, Peter and Steven, stole a mobile phone used by Byrne and Preston Connolly for their "JJ Line" drug-dealing operation. In opening statements, Nigel Power KC described it as a "targeted revenge attack in the heat of a dispute over drugs," not mistaken identity.
Allen, 55, of no fixed address, has prior firearm convictions from 2003 and 2020. He told the court he "just found guns extremely nice to look at."
In November 2023, Allen was jailed for 3.5 years for downloading 250 indecent images and videos of children, some of which he sent to four others, as reported by the Wirral Globe. This followed a 2015 conviction that placed him on the sex offenders' register for 10 years—a condition he breached by traveling to the Netherlands with Byrne and Connolly without notifying police. He also has Dutch convictions for extreme pornographic images and drug offenses.