BRITAIN: Two relatives of a British Premiership footballer were facing up to 30 years in jail today after they were convicted of the racist murder of black teenager Anthony Walker.
Anthony (18) was slain with an ice axe after he walked away from thugs shouting racist abuse in Huyton, Merseyside, in July.
Michael Barton and Paul Taylor, the brother and cousin of Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton, will be sentenced to life imprisonment today.
The minimum tariff for a racially aggravated murder is 30 years, although that figure is likely to fall following mitigation.
Taylor (20), who swung the axe, pleaded guilty two weeks ago to murder.
Barton (17), who started the confrontation and supplied the weapon, was found guilty of murder yesterday following a trial at Preston Crown Court, sitting in Liverpool.
The trial judge Mr Justice Brian Leveson indicated that he considered both Barton and Taylor's actions to be racially motivated.
The court heard that Anthony was waiting at a bus stop with his cousin and girlfriend when Barton began hurling racist abuse.
Anthony, a devout Christian, did not retaliate but simply walked on to wait elsewhere.
As the three cut across a park, they were ambushed by Barton and Taylor, who had driven ahead to wait for them.
Anthony's cousin and girlfriend escaped but he was attacked by Barton, who struggled to get the better of the powerfully built basketball fanatic.
When it became clear that Anthony was winning the fight, Barton shouted "Get him off me!" and Taylor struck him from behind with the axe - which smashed his skull and embedded in his brain.
Taylor later told his girlfriend that he had to act "because Michael was getting battered".
Anthony's mother, 49-year-old Gee Walker, saw the axe sticking out of his head in hospital and she was at his side when he died five hours later.
She insisted yesterday that she must forgive the killers. She said outside court: "At the point of death, Jesus said 'I forgive them for they know not what they do'. I have got to forgive them. My family and I still stand by what I believe - forgiveness."
Barton bowed his head and looked bewildered when the unanimous guilty verdict was read out in court, following 7½ hours of jury deliberations.
There were muffled cries from some of his relatives, and his father shook his head in sorrow.
The murder was "one of the worst cases" seen by the reviewing lawyer in the case, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Colin Davies, head of the serious and complex crime division of Merseyside presecution service, said: "Anthony's murder is one of the most vicious attacks I have seen in years of prosecuting."
Det Chief Supt Peter Currie, who led the investigation, said: "I said right from the outset it was a racially motivated attack. I still firmly believe that." - (PA)