Men who couldn't break the chain of their family's life of crime

THEY ALL FOUND THEMSELVES BEHIND BARS FOR THEIR CRIMES 20:55, 16 Feb 2025 These criminals couldn't break the generational cycle of a life of crime. This month saw one man follow in his

brother's footsteps by committing a near-identical offence. Elliot Ashton, 22, was jailed for six years and nine months at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, February 7, after he slashed

a man to the left-hand side of his face at a David Lloyd's gym in Speke, causing a wound which ran from his mouth to his ear. Cameron Ashton, who is understood to be Elliot's older

brother, knifed another man at the same gym six years before. Other families who seemed to carry on the life of crime include the Fitzgibbons. When Ian Fitzgibbon Jr was just 20, a judge

warned him to not "follow in the faltering footsteps" of his dad - a convicted heroin trafficker from a notorious crime family. However, back in July last year, the younger man was

locked up for nearly 15 years following his conviction for EncroChat offences. But Fitzgibbon Jr was not the first to follow in his dad's footsteps and adopt a life of crime - and he

almost certainly won't be the last. T The ECHO has reported on a number of cases in recent years where the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. The ECHO has looked at a number of

recent examples of when family members seemingly carry on the tradition of crime. ELLIOT ASHTON AND CAMERON ASHTON Elliot Ashton followed in brother Cameron's footsteps by committing a

near-identical crime. Elliot Ashton was locked last week after slashing a member of staff with a knife without warning, leaving him with a horrific wound across the side of his face which

required 76 stitches. The incident came almost six years to the day after his older sibling knifed another man at the same gym. He was rugby tackled by brave employees following the vicious

assault and had to have his legs bound with duct tape as he struggled to break free. Liverpool Crown Court heard on, Friday, February 7 that the victim had been with Ashton's sister for

around four years before their relationship "came to an end by a mutual decision" on August 9 last year. He was then at his workplace, the Speke branch of David Lloyd, at around

6pm on August 29 when the defendant, who was a member at the leisure centre, entered the premises and approached him at the reception desk. He asked the victim "to call him a taxi as

his mobile phone battery had died" before the victim asked if he was OK, to which Ashton replied that he was. He then asked how long the taxi would be, but when the complainant went to

use the phone in order to check this, Ashton pulled out a knife and slashed him to the left-hand side of his face. The victim was left with a slash wound running from his mouth towards his

left ear. He had to undergo six hours in surgery as a result of this "life threatening" wound, having required 76 stiches and five blood transfusions after the knife ruptured an

artery. The victim also lost two stone in weight, being left unable to eat due to the injury's close proximity to his jaw. Ashton has four previous convictions for five offences,

including two for possession of a bladed article in a public place. One incident saw him found with a knife in its sheath between his legs while being carried in a car which had been pulled

over for dangerous driving. The ECHO previously reported in 2019 that Cameron Ashton, who is understood to be Elliot Ashton's older brother and was believed to be present in the public

gallery during an earlier hearing concerning the case, knifed a fellow gymgoer five times to the head and upper body in the changing rooms of the same David Lloyd leisure centre on August 15

2018. Terrified children witnessed the incident unfolding in front of them as the assailant was tackled to the floor by staff, leading to a 10-minute struggle in which his legs had to be

tied together using duct tape. The reasons for the attacked however "remained a mystery", as neither perpetrator nor victim gave any explanation for the attack. Cameron Ashton, who

was also aged 22 at the time, was locked up for 38 months for wounding. Elliot Ashton was jailed for six years and nine months for his crime. IAN FITZGIBBON AND IAN FITZGIBBON JR Ian

Fitzgibbon was jailed in 2013 for his role in a £7m drug trafficking and money laundering plot. Fitzgibbon and his brother Jason operated an organised crime group, while their mum Christine

worked as a money launderer for their operation. They built their operation into a global network and became the top dogs of Merseyside's criminal underworld. The brothers would often

travel abroad for face-to-face meetings with drug cartel associates in Colombia, Mexico, Spain and Turkey. Detectives investigating the family believed the brothers had never had a

legitimate income and no tax records for either were ever traced. Although the Fitzgibbons, known locally as the "Fitzys", built their criminal empire on ecstasy and cocaine,

heroin would prove to be their downfall. The brothers were behind a plot to import 57kg of super-strength heroin from Turkey into the UK. But the scheme worth around £7m was foiled when a

car, with a boot full of the drug found in Istanbul, was traced back to Liverpool. The Fitzgibbon family home in Mossley Hill was bugged and investigators heard evidence not just of their

illicit dealings, but also of the brothers' constant bickering about who was the best drug dealer. Ian eventually admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, MDMA and money laundering, and

was jailed for 14 years, six months while his brother Jason was sentenced to 16 years. Ian's son was jailed this week for his role in an EncroChat drug supply plot that saw him use the

handle "VimtoHawk" to traffic both cocaine and heroin. The younger man had already clocked up convictions for dangerous driving and low level cannabis dealing, but this conviction

will now mark his first significant custodial sentence as he was jailed for fourteen-and-a-half years. The 29-year-old used the encrypted messaging platform to trade heroin and cocaine with

associates including Niall Barry and Sean Zeisz who were last year convicted of the murder of Ashley Dale. He was eventually arrested in February this year at his Sefton Park flat. Officers

arresting him saw him throw his mobile phone out of the window just before his flat was raided. When he was just 20 - and in court for his first offence - a judge warned him not to

"follow in the faltering footsteps" of his dad adding: "If ever there is a role model for you not to follow it is he, serving 14 years in prison for drug smuggling. However,

the sins of the father will not be visited on the son". Ultimately the warning appeared to fall on deaf ears. BRIAN MAXWELL AND BRIAN MAXWELL JR Drug dealer dad Brian Maxwell and his

son Brian Jr operated at a wholesale level when it came to drug production and supply. The pair used EncroChat to conduct their business, with Maxwell Sr using the

"RetiredVermouth" while his son was the man behind the pseudonyms "MediumRose" and "DiorNote". Maxwell Sr managed a network of properties which were used to

house their drug farms, while the younger Maxwell took a more hands-on role in the cannabis production, buying equipment, plants and nutrients to help the plants grow. However, the

pair's criminal enterprises unravelled when Maxwell Jr came to the attention of Huyton Firm gang boss Vincent Coggins. One of Coggins' stash houses was robbed by four four masked

men who slashed the homeowner and made off with 30 kg of cocaine - worth over £1m. Coggins was eventually given the name of Maxwell Jr and put in place plans to blackmail the family before

eventually killing the younger man. However, EncroChat messages later revealed Coggins had the wrong man. This didn't stop him from blackmailing Maxwell Sr into handing over £1m worth

of land and a house for the safe return of his son. The Maxwells were eventually undone after the hacking of the EncroChat network. The uncovered messages. as well as showing the dad and

son's illicit business, showed Maxwell Jr attempting to source weapons including an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and an AK47 to defend himself against the threat posed by Coggins. The

pair pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply diamorphine, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine and conspiracy to produce cannabis. Maxwell Jr also admitted conspiring to possess, purchase or

acquire prohibited firearms, between March 27, 2020 and June 6, 2020. He also admitted possession of prohibited firearms. Judge David Aubrey KC told the dad and son that they had assumed

they were protected from the law through their use of EncroChat phones. He said: "The phones proved to be your downfall." Maxwell Jr was jailed for 18 years and four months, while

his dad was sent down for 13 years and four months. SEAN PAGE AND SEAN PAGE JR Dad and son Sean Page and Sean Jr collaboratively ran a multi-million pound drugs gang with an international

network of operatives, distributing 1,200kg of heroin and 500kg of cocaine, with a street value of £100m. A huge drug seizure by Lincolnshire Police eventually led to arrests in Lincoln,

Birmingham, Liverpool, Belgium and the Netherlands before the chain was followed back to Page Sr. The older man, who had been on the run from UK police, was based in the Belgian city of

Antwerp. Although the majority of offenders in this conspiracy were caught in summer 2018, further police work with assistance from other law enforcement agencies both in the UK and abroad

identified those responsible for organising the supply chain. Page Jnr was eventually arrested at Liverpool John Lennon Airport while attempting to leave the country on Christmas Eve 2018,

destined for Amsterdam. His dad was located and arrested by European law enforcement in June the following year. After a number of their co-conspirators pleaded guilty to the offences before

them the Pages followed suit ahead of trial. Sean Sr was jailed for 22 years and six months while his son was sentenced to 14 years. STEPHEN COLEMAN AND STEPHEN COLEMAN JR Dad and son

Stephen Coleman and Stephen Jr armed themselves with a machete before bursting into a house and slashing a terrified dad. The pair were looking for a man called Kurtis Glover, who had

allegedly threatened Coleman Jr's girlfriend with a samurai sword. Mr Glover wasn't at home but his dad, John Glover, was struck on the arm with the fearsome weapon by Coleman Jr

while trying to protect himself. John Glover put his arm up to defend himself before he managed to keep his living room door shut while the machete blade was pushed through the crack between

the door and the frame. The attackers fled but CCTV footage showed Coleman Jr damaging windows with the machete and throwing property outside the house, causing £2,000 of damage. Coleman Jr

had a history of drug dealing including on one occasion when he was caught by police with 6o wraps of heroin. His dad had an unenviable record of 68 previous convictions at the time.

Coleman admitted burglary with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm while his son pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and criminal

damage. He also admitted three counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply. A judge sentenced Coleman to four-and-a-half years in prison and locked up his smirking son for eight

years. PAUL LAWLER AND JOEL LAWLER Thug Paul Lawler became a trusted member of Stephen and Peter Clarke's organised crime group. Lawler, who dabbled in mixed martial arts, struck up a

relationship with the brothers when they moved to Southport and ran jobs for the pair who were exporting drugs to Ireland. Stephen Clarke was linked to the cannabis operation while Peter

controlled the cocaine. However, a covert operation led to the downfall of the organisation and Lawler's plush home was raided while he was in the midst of a cocaine binge. After

attempting to flush drugs down the toilet during the police raid, Lawler tried to deny any involvement in drugs. But he was eventually jailed in 2014 for 10 years for drug offences. The ECHO

later reported in 2019 that Lawler, who had been released on licence, knocked a man unconscious during an argument at a bar in Bootle. Lawler casually walked away following the incident

leaving his victim on the ground. The ECHO understands the man recovered. Lawler later pleaded guilty to assault and was jailed for eight weeks. Lawler was also involved in a separate fracas

in a Southport pub, and charged with affray. He pleaded guilty and was jailed for 12 months. Article continues below Lawler's son Joel was caught two years later with eight wraps of

ketamine, four wraps of cocaine, 1.5g of MDMA and £550 was recovered. A court heard his phone was also "extremely active". A search of the boot of his mum's car later revealed

more drugs and money. Gemma Morris was said to have not known her son was involved in dealing drugs until he found the safe in her son's room on the night of the incident. She was

later said to have put the drugs and money into her car in a "moment of madness". Joel Lawler later admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine, MDMA and ketamine and was

sentenced to 32 months in a Young Offenders Institution.