Killer of Claughton man Graham McKenna loses appeal against 25-year prison sentence

Mar 10 2010 Heswall News

THE man who murdered Claughton man Graham McKenna and left his son critically injured will serve all of his 25 years in prison.

Appeal court judges last week declared Gary Finlay was not deserving of any time off the double life sentence he was given for killing soldier Mr McKenna and the attempted murder of then 14-year-old Michael McKenna.

His legal team tried to argue the Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Henry Globe QC, had not given Finlay, 46, sufficient credit for his guilty plea.

A guilty plea can attract a reduction in sentence of up to one-third.

But the London judges said Judge Globe’s ruling and the sentence passed were both legally sound and they saw no reason to take any more years off.

Finlay targeted Mr McKenna, a 45-year-old dad-of-two, stabbing him repeatedly in a street close to his home in January last year.

Leaving Mr McKenna dying in the doorway of a house, Finlay then turned on Michael, who was on his way to Goodison Park to watch Everton FC when they were attacked.