A WIRRAL gang member, jailed following an attack that left its victim with 'several injuries',  has been recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions.

Jake Duffy, aged 24 and originally from Beechwood, was sentenced on February 20, 2023, to two years for assault and nine months for affray to run concurrently following an incident on December 23 2022 where a man was assaulted at the junction of Bedford Road and Highfield Road in Rock Ferry.

The victim, Sam Searson, sustained several injuries to his face and lower back in the attack and required hospital treatment.

The brutal gang attack is understood to have led directly to the tragic murder of Elle Edwards at The Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village the following day. 

Mr Searson was an associate of Connor Chapman, who was handed three life sentences with an overall minimum term of 48 years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court, having been found guilty of Elle's murder.

During his trial, the jury saw footage of the savage street attack on Mr Season carried out by Duffy and accomplice Kieran Salkeld and recorded on a Ring doorbell camera.

Both Duffy and Salkeld were injured in the shooting at the pub on Christmas Eve 2022 when Chapman fired 12 shots from a Skorpion sub-machine gun at the entrance of The Lighthouse before fleeing in a stolen black Mercedes.

It is understood the two men were the intended targets of the shooting. 

Duffy was released from prison in January this year with strict licence conditions.

He was arrested on Thursday, August 1 for breaching his licence conditions and sent back to prison the next day to serve the remainder of his sentence after he was found associating with people in a Liverpool restaurant on his 'non-association list'.

Duffy is also subject to a two-year gang injunction that he was handed last August.

Merseyside Police is targeting gang-related activity in the Birkenhead area and works closely with its partners from EVOLVE Wirral, a Home Office-based Clear, Hold, Build initiative designed to help and regenerate areas worst affected by serious and organised crime.

Inspector Al McKeon said: "Gang-related activity has a profoundly detrimental effect on those who live or work in areas where these criminals operate, often recklessly with complete disregard for others.

"We are using all the powers and legislation available to us to disrupt and deter gang-related activity and will continue to robustly tackle serious and organised crime in Merseyside.

"But to have the greatest impact we cannot do this alone and need people to tell us about any criminality they hear or see so we can get those responsible off our streets.

"Together we are always stronger and I urge members of the public to come forward with information about those involved in organised crime and criminal activity so we can continue to take action against the organised crime groups who bring misery to our streets.

"This information can be passed on to Crimestoppers anonymously – no-one but you will ever know you made that report – and your information, no matter how small you may think it is, can help us to make our communities safer for generations to come."