Gosport murder: Four people sentenced for their part in attempts to help brothers escape justice
Four people have been sentenced for their part in attempts to help Gosport brothers get away with murder following a savage cocaine robbery.
Today, Joanne West, Sarah Flynn, Liam Savage and Mark Phillips all faced justice for their actions in seeking to assist murdering brothers Tommy West, 18, and Aiden West, 25.
On Tuesday the plotting drug addict brothers were handed life terms with the younger West jailed for a minimum term of 21 years and his half-brother locked up for 28 years over the killing of Levi Kent on November 24. The victim was repeatedly knifed by Tommy West, of Fisgard Road, when lured to shops behind Nobes Avenue shortly after 2am on November 24.
The victim was stabbed in his Vauxhall Corsa before attempting to escape and crashing his car into a wall. Levi, who had refused to defer payment on a deal, was then chased into Keyes Road before he was set upon again. He died following a fatal blow to his heart amid six blunt force injuries.
Aiden West, of Tudor Close, was found guilty of the murder of Levi in August following a trial. He was found not guilty of possessing a blade. Tommy West previously admitted to Levi’s murder along with robbery and possession of a blade.
Now other people in the case have been sentenced today. They include the brothers’ mother Joanne West, 45, of no fixed address, who admitted two counts of assisting an offender. Flynn, 36, of James Close in Gosport, admitted assisting an offender, as did Savage, 38, of Trinity Green in Gosport, who admitted two counts of assisting an offender. Phillips, 56, of Gilbert Close in Gosport, admitted perverting the course of justice.
Following the murder of Levi, the West brothers returned to an address in James Close where they changed their clothes. During this time, Flynn put some of Tommy West’s clothes in the bin. The court heard that afterwards Joanne West paid for them to take a taxi to Savage’s address in Trinity Green, and that the pair were laughing and joking during the journey.
Later that morning, the attackers were picked up by Tommy West’s dad Peter West and Michael Figgins before being driven to various locations - enabling Tommy West to discard an Adidas top at a friend’s address.
Joanne West was arrested on 26 November for arranging for her sons to evade capture. Phillips was present during her arrest and provided a false statement to police regarding the taxi booking she made for her sons.
At Portsmouth Crown Court today Joanne West was handed 15 months in prison, Flynn was sentenced to 12 months in jail as was Savage. Phillips was given a six month sentence suspended for two years and told to complete 15 rehabilitation days.
Peter West was jailed for two years on Tuesday after he was found guilty of one charge of assisting an offender. Figgins, 64, of St Ann's Crescent, is due to be sentenced after he was found guilty of one charge of assisting an offender.