Ryan's killers left trail of clues as they fled the UK

That was the analysis of prosecuting barrister Tim Evans as he made final submissions before Mr Justice Linden during the sentence hearing for Hull, 29, and Liam Porter, his 33-year-old sidekick. 

Both defendants were jailed for life. Hull must serve a minimum term of 28 years and Porter 26 years. At no point, the court heard, had either man expressed remorse for the suffering they have caused. Both denied murder but were convicted after a two week trial heard overwhelming evidence of their guilt.

“Ryan Kirkpatrick was two days away from his 25th birthday when he was killed by you,” the judge told the two defendants.

“He’d done nothing at all to deserve any form of violence at your hands, still less to be struck down in the prime of his life. During this trial, I have seen for myself how much his family loves him; how distraught they are to have lost him.”

The judge noted the “bad blood” between Hull and his victim – particularly the defendant’s earlier attack on Mr Kirkpatrick in a Carlisle betting show which led to him being jailed.

Hull’s initial attempt to “glass” Mr Kirkpatrick on September 18 last year failed. Frustrated by this, he decided to exact deadly revenge. 

Supported and encouraged by Porter, Hull returned to Carlyle’s Court in the city centre 15 minutes after the first confrontation. Both men hid their faces under hoods and masks; Hull had armed himself with a knife. 

Mr Justice Linden said: “Mr Hull ran in with hood up and mask on, like an assassin, and with knife drawn.

“Mr Kirkpatrick was chatting with a friend and looking at his mobile phone, completely unaware of Mr Hull’s approach. He was unarmed, in his shirtsleeves and defenceless. You, Mr Porter, followed Hull at walking pace, pausing briefly on the way in, but with hood up and mask on.

“You, Mr Hull, ran straight up to Kirkpatrick and stabbed him before he or anyone else who was present had any opportunity to react. You paused and then attacked for a second time.”

Chillingly, during the attack, Hull twice pulled away his face covering, as if desperate to let Mr Kirkpatrick know who his killer wa

“I am sure Mr Hull intended to kill Ryan Kirkpatrick," continued the judge. "The incident lasted in the region of 30 seconds, and it amounted to an execution. As was Mr Hull’s intention, Mr Kirkpatrick did not have any real chance to defend himself.

“The words “vicious”, “callous” and “cowardly” were used by Leading Counsel to describe what you did but I don’t think that goes far enough.

“The word “futile” should be added to reflect the pointlessness of what you did. You achieved nothing other than to cause misery to the Kirkpatrick family, and to ruin your own lives.”

What followed was a desperate attempt by Hull and Porter to evade justice: the burning of evidence, including clothing, and the car they used; the flight to Scotland, Northern Ireland, and then to the Republic of Ireland.”

One key blunder came as they fled from Carlyle’s Court, when Hull’s hoody slipped, revealing his distinctive balding head. Repeatedly, they changed phones, addresses, and their location, moving from one holiday home to another.

Astonishingly, the killers changed only some of their clothes when they returned to complete their violence at Carlyle's Court.

Just how feckless they were was shown when police arrested them in the Republic of Ireland, finding among their possessions a shopping list, which included “glasses, wigs, masks.” 

The judge told Hull, whose past offences include him attacking people with weapons, including a bottle: “You harboured a grudge against [Ryan Kirkpatrick] on which you acted in this case.” The comment echoed that of prosecutor Mr Evans, who described the stabbing as "revenge."

The judge told Porter: “You were part of the plan to stab Kirkpatrick which was formed shortly after you left Carlyle Court for the first time…

“You also knew perfectly well that Hull was angry and that he is a violent man, not least because you had just seen him try to glass Kirkpatrick. Instead of trying to persuade him not to do what he said he was going to do or, at the very least, refusing to take any part in it, you encouraged him.”

The defendants will be released only when and if the Parole Board decides that they are safe to back in the community.