David Ball jailed for Bootle street row crossbow murder

David Ball (left) fired the weapon at Lee Atkins in Monfa Street, Bootle in May

A man who used a crossbow to kill a man after they had rowed in the street has been jailed for life.

David Ball, 50, shot Lee Atkins on Monfa Street, Bootle, on 6 May, shortly after he had accused the 38-year-old of nearly killing him in a crash.

He was ordered to serve a minimum of 27 years at Liverpool Crown Court.

After sentencing, Det Ch Insp Gayle Rooney said Ball "chose to escalate a disagreement... to a sickening level of violence with tragic consequences".

The court was told that after the pair were separated by Ball's friend, Kevin Riley, the 50-year-old fetched the crossbow from Mr Riley's loft and returned to shoot Mr Atkins in the abdomen.

The 38-year-old died in hospital a few hours later.

After the hearing, Det Ch Insp Rooney said Ball's decision to arm himself had "not only cost a man his life and caused unspeakable suffering to all who knew Lee [but had also] cost Ball his liberty for a long time".

In a statement, Mr Atkins' family said the sentencing was "somewhat bittersweet, as despite preventing Ball from destroying any other families like he has with ours, we still do not have Lee with us".