Thug who murdered Tyson Fury’s cousin Rico Burton in bar brawl jailed for life
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A man has been jailed for murdering the cousin of world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury with a single blow from a knife during a brawl outside a bar.
Liam O’Pray, 22, was jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court with a minimum term of 28 years before parole for the murder of Rico Burton, 31, the cousin of Fury.
O'Pray, from Salford, stabbed Mr Burton with a lock-knife in a violent attack that lasted just seconds after the pair became embroiled in a brawl in the early hours of August 21, a court previously heard.
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The attack severed the major carotid artery in Mr Burton's neck, causing significant blood loss that ultimately led to his death.
On the night of Mr Burton's death witnesses described O'Pray as a "loose cannon" and said his behaviour was "very erratic" after he was barred from entering a bar.
The killer had already been drinking at a pub in the Goose Green area before approaching a doorman and saying he would "cause him an issue" when he was refused entry.
He was then seen pushing people around as he searched for his phone before being "dumped" outside by a bouncer.
O'Pray's "belligerent and aggressive" behaviour continued before the fight broke out at around 3am.
Mr Burton is understood to have aimed a punch at O'Pray, who then stabbed him in the left side of his neck.
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The court heard O'Pray was then knocked out while Mr Burton struggled to breathe and held onto his neck.
He went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after.
A post-mortem showed Mr Burton had suffered a 6cm cut, causing a haemorrhage.
Harvey Reilly, now 18, was also slashed twice by O'Pray after he tried to intervene in the brawl, suffering injuries to the arm and the stomach.
The court heard O'Pray had cannabis, cocaine and ketamine in his bloodstream when the incident took place.
Following Mr Burton's death, world heavyweight boxing champion Fury paid tribute to him on social media and called for the UK Government to bring in stricter laws around knife crime.
Taking to Instagram, he wrote: "Life is very precious and it can be taken away very quick. Enjoy every moment… RIP Rico Burton may the lord god grant you a good place in heaven. See you soon."
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