Man found guilty of conspiracy to murder and kidnap

A man has been convicted of the murder of Rochdale man, Paul Brady, following his disappearance and a violent kidnap in Bacup

Paul Devalda, 35, of Padiham Road, Burnley, was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to kidnap following a nine week trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

Paul Brady, 44, of Rochdale was kidnapped from the Beaufort Road area of Weir, Bacup on Saturday 1 August 2009.

Despite a major police investigation and extensive enquiries to find Mr Brady, his body has not yet been found and detectives believe he was killed and his body disposed of following the kidnap.

Detective Superintendent Neil Hunter, who led the major investigation, said: "This has been a very difficult and resource intensive enquiry, particularly as we have never recovered Paul's body which brings with it its own challenges. It is one of the largest enquiries I have been involved with for a long time and we have followed up over 2,500 lines of enquiry.

"There was no doubt that this was a pre-meditated and well planned offence committed by a travelling organised crime group who are extremely dangerous, ruthless and violent criminals, in broad daylight on a Saturday afternoon in a very nice remote area in East Lancashire.

"Devalda managed for a short while to stay on the run, but little did he know that day by day the net was closing in. When we established that he was down in London we contacted our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police and with their assistance he was arrested and brought back to Lancashire.

"This was a criminal vendetta kidnap and should be a strong warning to any individual who chooses to get involved in such criminality; we will robustly investigate any such offences and relentlessly pursue the people responsible.

"An aggravating feature of this wicked offence is the concealment of Paul's body and to this day and despite extensive enquiries and searches we have been unable to find him. In view of today's conviction, every decent law abiding person would expect Devalda to tell us where he is, if he knows, so that we can recover his remains for the sake of Paul's family but I remain to be convinced he will do so.

"Paul's family have come to terms with the fact that he is dead, but without a body they have been unable to hold a proper funeral for him. Keeping the secret of where he is, now that he has been convicted, serves no purpose for Devalda.

"Devalda has during the trial process proved that he is an accomplished liar who would do anything and go to extreme lengths to escape being brought to justice. His allegations of police corruption were the actions of a desperate man and I am delighted to say fell on deaf ears. His pathetic attempts to make the jury believe his tissue of lies failed miserably.

"Devalda is an extremely dangerous individual who was motivated by greed and financial reward. In reality though he is a coward as there were in excess of 10 offenders who were in possession of a multitude of weapons including firearms, knives and metal bars with were responsible for this offence. With the odds stacked heavily in their favour they attacked two men who were unable to defend themselves.

"This has been a massive team effort and I would like to thank everyone who worked on this enquiry as well as the Crown Prosecution Service and Counsel for their hard work in bringing this case to court and presenting it well.

"I hope the family and friends of Paul Brady can find some sort of closure from today and that they can, in some small way, move on with their lives although this will be almost impossible until Paul's remains have been found. We will never give up looking for him and this investigation continues as all being well we are determined to bring to justice other people involved in this incident."

John Dilworth, Head of the CPS Complex Casework, Unit said: "Paul Brady was kidnapped in broad daylight and subsequently murdered. Such crimes are rare but when they do occur the public can have confidence that the CPS will work closely with the police to bring offenders to justice.

"The principal defendant in this case, Paul Devalda, has shown himself to be a cunning and manipulative man. However, due to the meticulous investigation by Lancashire Constabulary and tireless attention to detail by the whole of the prosecution team, the jury have been able to see through his tissues of lies. Heath Bowling, who helped Paul Devalda try to evade justice, has also been convicted.

"Our thoughts today are with Mr Brady's family and loved ones, who have gone through this terribly traumatic process with the utmost dignity."

Mr Brady’s sister Joanne said: "Paul's disappearance has left an incredible void in our family. Where once there was laughter and fun with a fantastic guy this has now been replaced by a deafening silence, pain and devastation. Paul will be missed by all his friends and family and we feel incredible sadness at not being given the opportunity to put him to rest."

Another man was also convicted following the trial. Heath Bowling, 38, of High Lane, Stockport, was found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Sentencing for Bowling has been adjourned pending pre-sentence reports.

Heath Bowling, a trusted associate of Devalda, provided the Galaxy motor vehicle that was used in the kidnap and then unsuccessfully attempted to cover his tracks by telling lies and alleging he had sold the vehicle to a legitimate mystery buyer.

Stacia Crossley, 28, of Padiham Road, Burnley, was charged with assisting an offender. However, the jury failed to reach a verdict and the judge ordered they be discharged in respect of her.