As 2023 draws to a close, we take a look back at the murderers who were jailed in Lancashire this year:
5. Lee Dawson's murderers jailed for life after vicious stabbing in Preston
Lee Dawson, 42, suffered fatal knife wounds when he was viciously attacked in Jutland Street in June 2022. Benjamin Bibby (pictured left), 21, of Dawson Walk, Preston, and Andrew Wilcock (pictured right), 29, of Lincoln Walk, Preston, were found guilty of murder by a jury at Preston Crown Court following a three-week trial. They were both jailed for life with a minimum of 24 years in February. Photo: Lancashire Police
6. Man found guilty of murdering Walsall FC fan in Blackpool
Ryan Harvey, 22, of Walsall, was found with a serious head injury in Blackpool in June. He died three days later in hospital. A post-mortem concluded that the cause of Ryan’s death was blunt head trauma. Paul Atherton, 38, from Knowsley Crescent, Thornton, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 16 years in November. Photo: Lancashire Police
7. Four people found guilty of murdering Blackpool dad
(Top row L-R) Stephen Pugh and Tina Walton (Bottom row L-R) Stephanie Steele and Shaun Neil. Mark Gibson – also known as Mark Lamb – was beaten, stabbed and left to die in Carshalton Road in the early hours of July 11, 2022. It followed an altercation between himself and the offenders at an address on nearby Boothroyden, which then continued onto Carshalton Road. Four people were found guilty of murder following a trial at Preston Crown Court and were sentenced to a combined total of 82 years in prion in February. Aaron Chadwick, 34, of Warley Road, Blackpool, was found not guilty of Mark’s murder but guilty of his manslaughter. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. Photo: Lancashire Police