Trial following acid attack murder of Wigan man gets under way on Monday

The body of father-of-two Liam Smith, 38, was found at the bottom of his driveway on Kilburn Drive, Shevington, in the early evening of November 24, 2022.

The electrician had been shot and suffered burns from acid.

Michael Hillier, 39, of Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, and Rachel Fulstow, 37, of Andrew Drive, York, will go on trial at Manchester Crown Court on Monday accused of his murder. They have both pleaded not guilty to the charge.

In addition, Fulstow has denied a second charge of perverting the course of justice.

In January, the family of Mr Smith said he was a “devoted” and “adoring” father to his two boys, aged 15 and 11.

The horrific incident triggered a wide-reaching and complex police inquiry and involved the raiding of dozens of premises, mainly in the Chorley area where Mr Smith was born and raised.