A sports therapist has been found guilty of the murder of a retired lecturer who was shot with a crossbow outside his home.

On Monday, a jury at Mold Crown Court convicted Terence Whall, 39, of killing Gerald Corrigan, 74, who was fatally injured as he adjusted a satellite dish outside his home in Anglesey, in the early hours of Good Friday, April 19, last year.

Martial arts expert Whall and co-defendant Gavin Jones, 36, were also convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice for plotting to set fire to Whall's Land Rover Discovery.

North Wales Chronicle:

Terence Whall, 39, who was found guilty at Mold Crown Court of the murder of 74-year-old Gerald Corrigan

Jurors were told they may never know why Mr Corrigan was murdered but heard that the pensioner and his partner, Marie Bailey, 64, had previously handed over £250,000 to convicted fraudster Richard Wyn Lewis.

On May 31, Whall and Jones were arrested at the Anglesey home of Mr Lewis, who remains under investigation, following an incident which the jury heard was a dispute over money.

North Wales Chronicle:

The remote Anglesey home of Gerald Corrigan

Peter Rouch QC, prosecuting, said Whall's association with Mr Lewis "may be of significance" but David Elias QC, defending Whall, said there was no evidence linking the two before the shooting.

Whall, a twice-married tai chi instructor from east London, denied ever meeting Mr Corrigan, who died in hospital on May 11.

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Gavin Jones was convicted of perverting the course of justice

But the court heard that he hid outside the father-of-two's remote home and waited for him to leave after the Sky signal was interfered with.

The crossbow bolt passed through the pensioner's body, causing serious internal injuries and bruising his heart before shattering a bone in his arm as it left his body.

Whall's movements on the night of the shooting were revealed by the GPS system from his state-of-the-art car, which was found burnt out in a disused quarry on June 3.

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Darren Jones who pleaded guilty to arson for setting fire to Terence Whall's Land Rover Discovery

Information recovered from Jaguar Land Rover showed the car had been in the area of Mr Corrigan's home, near South Stack, at the time of the shooting and on the previous night, when the prosecution allege Whall was "scoping out" the property.

Whall initially told police he was at home on the night Mr Corrigan was shot but, when the GPS showed he was not, he said he was in the area because he was having a sexual encounter with friend Barry Williams.

Mr Williams denied the claims.

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Martin Roberts pleaded guilty to arson for setting fire to Terence Whall's Land Rover Discovery

Partway through the trial, which lasted more than four weeks, Jones's brother, Darren Jones, 41, and his friend, Martin Roberts, 34, pleaded guilty to the arson of the Land Rover Discovery.

Whall admitted owning a crossbow but told police he had sold it months before the killing and a new one he ordered online was not delivered until after the shooting.

North Wales Chronicle:

Crossbow bolt identical to the one used by Terence Whall when he shot Gerald Corrigan outside his remote home in Anglesey

The jury was told he had ordered crossbow bolts and broadheads identical to the one used to shoot Mr Corrigan in the months leading up to the shooting.

A punchbag, with holes in which suggested it had been used for target practice, was seized from the home Whall shared with partner Emma Roberts in Bryngwran, Anglesey.

Mr Corrigan was effectively a carer for Ms Bailey, who had MS, and moved to Anglesey more than 20 years ago after retiring from his job as a lecturer in photography and video in Lancashire.

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An Excalibur Micro 355 crossbow that used for test firing and shown at court

Whall, of Bryngwran, Anglesey, and co-defendant Gavin Jones, 36, were also convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The charges related to an alleged plot to set fire to Whall's Land Rover Discovery.

The two men showed no reaction as the verdicts were returned.

They are due to be sentenced on Friday.

In a statement, Mr Corrigan's partner Marie Bailey said: "Gerry was my partner in life, my best friend, he meant the world to me.

North Wales Chronicle:

From left to right: Family liaison officer Lynne Willsher, Gerald Corrigan's partner Marie Bailey, civilian investigator Dewi Harding Jones, Detective Chief Inspector Brian Kearney, Mr Corrigan's daughter Fiona and family liaison officer Ruth Roberts at press conference at Theatre Clwyd in Mold

"Every day I am faced with the reality of no Gerry Corrigan in my life any more. Each day my heart is broken, I feel it breaking again and I can do nothing.

"For Gerry's family and friends I am sorry we have lost him, our lives poorer and somehow empty without him.

"To that sad, twisted broken soul who murdered him, I say if you have an ounce of humanity, any sense of decency then you would tell us now why you have done this."

She urged anyone who might know why Whall had carried out the murder to come forward.

She added: "To you, I will say this, I am sorry for you and you have been given what you deserve."

Mr Corrigan's daughter Fiona said in statement: "Nothing can prepare you for a 7am telephone call on a bank holiday weekend to tell you your dad has been shot."

She said she had to drive from one hospital to another to be there for her father.

She said: "The mental torture of having a loved one in critical care is not something I'd wish on anyone.

"Being given a glimmer of hope just because for that hour, they had stabilised his blood pressure only to have it dashed because of the reality of the situation.

"The injuries caused by a crossbow are not designed just to kill, they are designed to mutilate.

"The particular weapon is designed for hunting to bring down... game and that is what my dad became. Prey. We may never know why."

Miss Corrigan added: "The reason the news of the shooting was such a shock for us was that he was such a good man.

"Just an average bloke enjoying his retirement.

"He enjoyed a lie in, a nice cup of tea and reading books.

"He loved Laurel and Hardy films and photographing flowers and mountains.

"Our lives won't be the same without him."

She thanked doctors, nurses, police and the local community for their help.

At a press conference, Detective Chief Inspector Brian Kearney said: "Early on Good Friday morning, April 19 last year, Gerald Corrigan was the victim of a barbaric, medieval-style execution in one of the safest parts of the UK.

"Gerald, a pensioner, lived in a tranquil and remote location, with his disabled partner Marie. He was entirely innocent."

He added: "Terence Whall believed he had planned and committed the perfect murder. There was no forensic evidence, no direct eye witness evidence to the shooting and in fact no-one saw him going to and from the scene."

He said the case was solved by those who came forward from the community.

He said: "In such a cold-blooded killing, I am eternally grateful to all who had the courage to come forward thereby protecting our community."