James Stanton

James Stanton was shot dead at the Aintree Commercial Vehicles car showroom around 6pm on 24 July 2006.

Two masked gunmen had gone into his office there and then shot him in the head and back.

The police said that they did not think that James Stanton himself was the target of the attack but that the gunmen had targeted the company, Aintree Commercial Vehicles, that he had owned.

The gunmen were then said to have fled in a blue Toyota Avensis car, with registration number DM53 MKK, that had been stolen two months before from Sefton Street in Dingle. The car was found the next day burnt out on Blindfoot Road, a remote country lane, in Rainford.

CCTV was recovered of the gunmen entering the showroom.

The route that Aintree Commercial Vehicles was on, Ormskirk Road, was described as a busy route out of the city centre and the murder had taken place during the rush hour whilst there were plenty of people about.

The police appealed to pedestrians and motorists that had been in the area at the time that might have seen something suspicious to talk to them. They also appealed for a cyclist that had contacted then indirectly saying that he had seen part of the incident but who had never come forward, to contact them.

James Stanton was also a Jujitsu Instructor.