R v Ryan Cashin & Ors

Facts

On 9 September 2021 Rhamero West, aged 16, was stabbed to death in Norton Street, Manchester after a chase involving two recently stolen BMW cars and then a pursuit on foot. The prosecution case was that Ryan Cashin, Giovanni Lawrence, Marquis Richards and Xavier Wynter were parties to a joint enterprise to cause at least really serious harm: Wynter drove the 3-Series BMW, Lawrence drove the 1-Series, Richards emerged from the 1-Series with a large knife and chased the deceased before handing the knife to Cashin, who inflicted the fatal wound to the thigh. Cashin gave evidence denying presence at the chase and asserting mistaken identification; Lawrence neither answered questions in interview nor gave evidence, his case being that he had sold his phone to Richards that day; Richards gave evidence admitting presence but claiming he had only wanted to scare the deceased. In the Crown Court at Manchester before Kerr J, Cashin was convicted of murder on 8 April 2022 and Lawrence and Richards on 11 April 2022 by a majority of 10 to 2; Wynter was acquitted of murder and manslaughter. The Full Court granted Cashin and Lawrence leave to appeal against conviction on 11 March 2025.