Another 'Disrespect' Killing

A man who ordered a hitman to gun down someone who had 'disrespected' him in cold blood was jailed for 28 years yesterday.

From the Mail:

Elroy Otway, 27 (above left), felt he had lost face after Mark Daniels, 25 (right), stood up to him in a spat at a McDonald's drive-through in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester.

Otway, from Longsight, Manchester, was in his Honda Accord when he berated some youths on bikes at the restaurant.

But Mr Daniels, a father-of-one, swore at Otway and told him to leave them alone as they were only children - and paid with his life.

Hours later Otway drove a gunman to Wythenshawe and found Mr Daniels standing outside a friend's house.

He was then chased down an alley, shot in the leg, and blasted in the back for a second time with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol as the gunman stood over him.

Mr Daniels died later in hospital.

Otway, who has 30 previous convictions, then fled the country until he was arrested on his return last year.

Passing sentence Judge Anthony Gee told the defendant: 'This was a merciless and brutal attack on a defenceless victim for so little.

'The argument was between you and another boy on a pedal cycle at first, but Mr Daniels stepped in and told you to go away in fairly explicit terms, which you may well have considered disrespectful, that is the only possible potential motive that the prosecution have been able to discover.'

Earlier, the court heard how at 5.45pm, on Tuesday, August 22, 2006, Mr Daniels had been at the Civic Centre in Wythenshawe, speaking to a group of youths.

Otway pulled up and began arguing with the youths before Mr Daniels intervened.

About two hours later the victim was standing outside a friend's house on Longlevens Road, Wythenshawe when Otway and another man, who was carrying a gun, got out of the car and walked towards him.

Mr Daniels tried to run but was chased into an alleyway and seen curling into a ball as he was shot, before Otway and the gunman fled.