Killer couple who shot Liam Smith dead then doused him with acid in revenge for ‘rape’ are jailed
A TWISTED former couple have been jailed for shooting a man in the face and dousing him with acid in a “rape” vigilante attack.
Michael Hillier, 39, and Rachel Fulstow, 37, hatched the “cold-blooded murder” plot after she claimed Liam Smith had raped her on a Tinder date.
Fulstow never reported the alleged attack to police, with the evil pair instead acting as “judge, jury and executioner” against the 38-year-old.
Hillier lay in wait outside Liam’s home in Wigan for ten hours before blasting him in the face then pouring acid on his bloodied body.
He and Fulstow then jetted off on a romantic two-week holiday to Jamaica in a sadistic bid to evade justice.
The pair have now been jailed for life after they were unanimously convicted of murder following a six-week trial.
Fulstow was handed a minimum term of 30 years, while Hillier was sentenced to at least 33 years.
There was an outburst from the public gallery as the pair were taken down to the cells, with one person yelling “Kill yourself…Liam will be waiting for you”.
In a victim impact statement, the mother of Liam’s two children Lisa Wilkinson said the pain of his sons “will never end”.
She also told how Liam was the “best and most devoted dad”, whose world revolved around his two children.
The mum added: “I just don’t know what is best and I feel lost. My eldest had so many wonderful memories of his dad. My youngest is very depressed and unable to leave my side.
“The effect on my boys will never be able to be told in a statement. Their grief and sadness will never end.
“No child should ever have to go through what they have and not be able to take their pain away. Their lives have changed forever.
“We will miss him forever and conditionally.”
While Liam’s sister Gemma said the family only saw his left had after the horror as the rest of his body was so badly burned.
As a result, his loved ones were unable to even give him a final kiss goodbye.
Gemma said: “Our family got to see his only left hand, the rest of him remained covered. His skin was burnt, I could see the skeleton on his fingers.
“At the time I prayed our mum didn’t notice the damage.
“It’s inhumane. No family should have to go through this. Liam was robbed not only of his life, but his dignity.
“Evil things don’t happen to normal, decent people. It’s hell. I do not wish this upon any family. It’s genuinely too much to bear. Every time I close my eyes I see my brother lying there in that mortuary.
“Unless a loved one has been murdered you don’t understand the magnitude of it. Another human is responsible for this level of devastation. Anger, contempt, hatred.
“On every single level, our lives have been destroyed.”
Minshull Street Crown Court heard Fulstow had been on a date with Liam in 2019 where they had “non consensual sex” at a hotel.
She did not describe the incident as rape and went for lunch with the dad-of-two the following day.
Two years later when she began dating drug-dealer Hillier, who was described as verbally abusive and unpredictable.
He was not happy about the one-night stand, so the couple concocted the plot to kill Liam.
On November 24 last year, Hillier headed to Liam’s home with a lunchbox full of snacks that Fulstow had packed for him.
The killer waited for ten hours before luring the victim from his home and shooting him in the face.
He then poured acid on to his face and body, followed by soda crystals, before leaving stricken Liam to die.
During their trial, both Hillier and Fulstow turned on each other as they tried to shift the blame.
He claimed they had “decided jointly between the two of us that we would deal with the matter ourselves and seek justice ourselves and go down the vigilante route”.
While Fulstow told jurors the first she knew of the attack was when Hillier turned up at her house the following morning and told her.
But her phone showed she had searched for Liam’s electrical company online and the weather conditions for the day of the killing.
As well as murder, she was also convicted of perverting the course of justice.
Rebecca Macaulay-Addison, for CPS North West‘s Complex Casework Unit, said: “Hillier and Fulstow planned the brutal murder of Liam Smith and attempted to cover their tracks at every stage.
“Far from being racked with guilt following the murder, the pair flew to Jamaica on holiday for two weeks.
“The CPS worked with Greater Manchester Police to piece together the evidence including eye-witness testimony, CCTV, extensive mobile phone evidence and medical evidence to build a strong case to put before the jury. The jury agreed with the prosecution and found them both guilty of murder.
“I hope that Liam’s family and friends can find some comfort in knowing his killers have been brought to justice. My thoughts remain with them.”