It has been almost 25 years since the brutal murders of two men laid bare the grimy underbelly of Southport's nightclub scene. Paul Hagan, 36, and Francis Perry, 40, were mercilessly beaten to death by Sean Jackman and Raffaele Esposito, a pair of bouncers allegedly known for hawking hard drugs in various pubs and clubs in the resort.
Jealousy sparked the deadly attack
In a drug-fuelled frenzy, the pair attacked Paul and Francis inside a flat on Derby Road after a night out on June 19 2002. The motive was jealousy: Esposito’s sister, Guistina, and his girlfriend, Melissa Thompson, had gone to the flat with the victims. Esposito, who lived next door, arrived there later. He believed that Paul and Francis were “acting inappropriately” and summoned Jackman to help "sort them out". A third man also went along after receiving a call from Esposito, but maintained he did not get involved in the beating.
Speaking to the Southport Visiter in December 2002, Det Supt John Kerruish, who led the investigation, said: “I thought it was odd that this attack was so ferocious over something so minor. But Esposito’s jealousy was the only possible motive. We have never known the exact sequence of events in that flat that day or who dealt what blows.”
Blood-soaked crime scene and murder weapon
Esposito, Jackman, and the third man, who was ultimately cleared, all denied murder. Their trial began at Liverpool Crown Court in December 2002, where it was heard both Paul Hagan and Francis Perry had suffered repeated beatings in the flat. Christopher Lloyd, a forensic scientist who visited the crime scene, said the flat was covered in blood from the victims’ being assaulted, particularly on and at the side of the bed, where he believed they were attacked before being moved on to the settee, where their bodies were eventually found.
A baseball bat recovered from the scene was heavily bloodstained and bent, and it was the likely murder weapon. But Mr Lloyd added: “There was a gas bottle found in the hallway and I cannot rule out the fact it may have been used in the assaults on the victims.”
Victims suffered horrendous injuries
After killing the two men, Jackman and Esposito fled the area, going as far as London in a desperate bid to escape the law. When they returned, they were arrested. Opening the case in November 2002, prosecutor Jonathan Foster said Paul and Francis were murdered in the home of a friend, James MacElhinney, in Derby Road. He told the court: “The scene was discovered the following morning by Mr MacElhinney - it was devastation and death. Mr Hagan was slumped over a couch and Mr Perry was in the foetal position by the couch. Both had enormous head injuries from which they died.
“A baseball bat was found at the premises bearing the deceased's blood. It had been used to batter them to death. They had sustained a total of 18 serious head injuries and many many other insults. There was blood everywhere."
Jackman: 'one of the hardest men in Southport'
Sean Jackman, 33, was said to be “one of the hardest men in Southport". He was a bouncer at the West End nightclub and Waverley's Bar, and had been working as a doorman for about 10 years at the time of the murders. He had previously been a lifeguard at Southport Baths. He was also, it was alleged, a seasoned drug dealer. In court, it was claimed Jackman used to say “Southport was his and everything that went on went on through him.”
Esposito, 26, admitted his role in the frenzied attacks, but maintained he did not kill Paul Hagan and Francis Perry, but merely assaulted them. He told the jury he had completely lost his temper, picked up a baseball bat and battered Francis on the right side of his body, claiming “rage had got the better of me." He went on to describe how he rained blows down on Francis Perry's face, arms and legs and groin, stamped on his groin and kicked his face.
Life sentences for murder
Jackman and Esposito were both found guilty of murder on December 20 2002, and were sentenced to life in prison. Speaking to the Southport Visiter after the trial, Francis Perry's sister Paula said: “We cannot tell you how pleased we are that these two animals are off the streets. They have ruined our families’ lives and they deserve what they got for killing our ‘Buddy’ (Francis).
“The people of Southport have been fantastic and we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who came and gave evidence against them. We know how hard it must have been but we are very grateful." Francis Perry's other sister Joanne added: “Buddy and Paul were two of a kind, they meant nobody any harm and worked together as roofers. We all loved them. It is just disgusting what they did to them.
"Jackman was a timebomb who was waiting to go off. Esposito just stood there in the dock and lied, they make me sick. Having to sit in the same room as them, they are just evil savages but at least the world is a better place now."
Prison wedding to avoid testimony
After the killers were sent down, the Southport Visiter revealed how "cowardly" Jackman tried to escape justice by marrying his girlfriend, Amanda Brunskill, in prison the day before his trial began. The wedding meant Brunskill could not be forced to give evidence against him. She was supposed to tell the jury how Jackman had admitted to the murder during a telephone conversation. But the law states wives are not compelled to give evidence against their husbands.
Det Supt John Kerruish said: “When we were told they planned to get married, the CPS immediately issued an objection to evidence against him the superintendent of registrars. But we were told that you could only object to someone getting married if they were already married, or you could prove they were not sound of mind and didn’t know what they were doing."
In 2015, fresh pictures of Jackman surfaced online after he used a smuggled smartphone to make a Facebook page. Photographs showed the 19-stone double killer grinning and flexing his muscles in his cell. He also posted a number of comments to Facebook including: “hit the gym this morning 300key squat followed by 10 cans tuna luv u kids x". In another post he made reference to playing chess with Charles Bronson, one of the country’s most notorious prisoners.
