Ryan Kirkpatrick: CCTV footage 'likely shows murder-accused pair'

CCTV footage "lends weight" to the claim two murder suspects were responsible for a fatal attack on a man outside a pub, a court has heard.

Ryan Kirkpatrick, 24, was stabbed to death in Carlisle, Cumbria, in September 2021.

Kane Hull, 29, and Liam Craig Porter, 33, deny murder and manslaughter.

A forensic imagery analyst told Carlisle Crown Court he could see nothing on the recording that would eliminate the pair.

Jurors have previously heard the stabbing - allegedly carried out by Mr Hull - at Carlyle's Court happened shortly after 20:45 BST on Saturday 18 September following an altercation between Mr Kirkpatrick and Mr Hull about 15 minutes earlier.

Analyst Clive Evans was asked to compare images of the physical features and clothing of Mr Hull and Mr Porter during the first incident and those of two masked suspects - called subjects X and Y - in the courtyard at the time of the stabbing.

He gave his opinion on similarities and differences as jurors looked at CCTV stills.

Referring to his findings in a report, he concluded he could find "no irreconcilable differences" that would permit the elimination of Mr Hull and Mr Porter as "candidates for subjects X and Y".

Mr Evans further concluded: "Overall, in my opinion, the imagery evidence lends weight to the contention that Mr Porter and subject Y are the same person, and that Mr Hull and subject X are the same person."

The alternative scenario, he stated, was that X and Y were different people to Mr Porter and Mr Hull who are "coincidentally observed to associate themselves with each other" while exhibiting physical and clothing similarities.

Mr Hull, of no fixed address, and Mr Porter, of Fulmar Place, Carlisle, admit they were present at Carlyle's Court when the first incident occurred but deny being there when Mr Kirkpatrick was knifed.

The trial continues.

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