Nina Grahame KC secures permission for Liam O’Pray to appeal against life sentence for murder

2 May 2025

Garden Court North’s Nina Grahame KC represented Liam O’Pray at the Court of Appeal inside the Royal Courts of Justice (pictured), London. Credit: Lazy Llama / Shutterstock.

The Court of Appeal has granted Liam O’Pray permission to appeal against his sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years, after Garden Court North’s Nina Grahame KC argued that the minimum term was manifestly excessive as his youth and immaturity were not fully taken into account.

On 21 August, 2022, Liam O’Pray stabbed Rico Burton in the neck with a lock knife after a fight broke out between the defendant’s friends and Rico Burton’s family and friends at a courtyard of bars called Goose Green in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. A second male, Harvey Reilly, was also seriously injured during the fight, which lasted a few seconds.

Liam O’Pray was convicted by a jury of murder and the second serious assault at Manchester Crown Court in July 2023.

The case received nationwide media attention after Rico Burton died from severe blood loss, prompting his cousin, British boxing champion Tyson Fury, to declare that knife crime “needs to stop” in interviews and posts on social media.

Yesterday (1 May, 2025), the Court of Appeal in London granted Liam O’Pray permission to appeal against the sentence, accepting that it was arguable that the minimum term might be “manifestly excessive”.

Mrs Justice Stacey, sitting with Lord Justice Edis and Judge Usha Karu, said the judge who passed the original sentence may have failed to take “sufficient account of the age and level of maturity” of Liam O’Pray, who was 21 years-old at the time of the incident.

Representing Liam O’Pray, Nina said her client’s status at the time was “inadequately addressed and insufficiently reflected in the term imposed, and we say that is a very crucial ground on which this application should be permitted to proceed. The minimum term should have been significantly less than 28 years.”

Liam O’Pray was also found guilty of wounding with intent to cause really serious harm for attacking Harvey Reilly, who was 17 at the time of the incident.

A previous court hearing was told that the actions of officers at the scene were “instrumental” in saving Harvey Reilly’s life.

The date of the appeal on Liam O’Pray’s sentence is yet to be fixed.

Nina was instructed at trial by Victoria Thompson of Tuckers Solicitors.

Additional media

BBC – Appeal bid granted to killer of Tyson Fury’s cousin

ITV – Murderer who killed Tyson Fury’s cousin in Manchester allowed to appeal against life sentence

Lancs Live – Man who murdered Tyson Fury’s cousin to appeal against sentence

For further information, please contact Alex Blair, Communications Manager at Garden Court North Chambers: ablair@gcnchambers.co.uk