A jury have found two men guilty of the murder of Ryan Kirkpatrick.

The murder that took place in Carlisle city centre last year.

The two men were found guilty of murder after a trial at Carlisle Crown Court where they had both denied murder, are named as:

• Kane Hull, 29, of no fixed address.
• Liam Porter, 33, of Fulmar Place, Carlisle.

Following the verdicts, the judge, The Honourable Mr Justice Linden, adjourned the case until tomorrow, October 25, when the two men will be sentenced.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mick Bird is the senior investigating officer overseeing the case and speaking after the verdicts, he said: “These two men denied their involvement in this horrific crime.

“But a jury have heard the evidence gathered by the officers of Cumbria Constabulary and put before them by the Crown Prosecution Service, and found them guilty.

“Ahead of their sentencing, I would like to thank the jury of ordinary members of the public who have sat and listened to the evidence surrounding this shocking attack, and the witnesses who have supported this prosecution, particularly those who gave evidence during the trial.

“I would also like to thank our colleagues within the Crown Prosecution Service and prosecuting counsel Tim Evans and Kim Whittlestone for the manner in which the case has been prepared and delivered at trial.

“Lastly, I must thank the dedicated team of officers and staff from Cumbria Constabulary who worked round-the-clock on this investigation and who have shown great skill and professionalism throughout.

“This is an extremely unusual set of circumstances for Cumbria, in terms of the use of a weapon and the brutality involved, the subsequent manhunt and the community impact here in Carlisle.

“I hope the manner in which it has been dealt with and the outcome will reassure the public that their police force will act quickly and robustly to bring those responsible to justice.”

Victoria Agulló, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West said: “Hull and Porter were determined to cause serious harm to Ryan Kirkpatrick and clearly planned and carried out the attack that left Ryan fatally wounded.

“They went to great lengths to evade capture, including disguising themselves, changing phones and ultimately fleeing the country.

“The CPS has worked with Cumbria Police from an early stage in the investigation to put a strong case before the jury, including eyewitness evidence, CCTV, phone attribution and cell site data to show the location of Hull and Porter and the fact they were together at key times. This enabled the jury to conclude that they were both responsible for Ryan’s death.

“When it was established that the pair were in the Republic of Ireland, the CPS, with the assistance of Cumbria Police, made successful applications to the Irish authorities to extradite Hull and Porter and also to obtain evidence which was crucial to the trial.

“My thoughts remain with Ryan’s family, who I hope can find some comfort in knowing that Ryan’s killers have been brought to justice.”

The pair will be sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court.