Simon Allen

Simon Allen, aged 55 and of no fixed address, was one of three men convicted at Liverpool Crown Court on 28 January 2025 of the murder of 53-year-old grandmother Jacqueline Rutter in Moreton, Wirral, Merseyside. The fatal shooting occurred in the early hours of 30 October 2022, when Rutter was shot twice in the chest after answering a knock at her door. Allen, along with James Byrne, exited a black Vauxhall Insignia and carried out the attack before returning to the vehicle, which Allen later set alight in Moreton to destroy evidence.

The court heard that David Harrison, 59, of Pensby, Wirral, assisted by transporting the men before and after the murder and helping with the clean-up operation. A fourth man, Barrie Glynn, 47, of Heswall, Wirral, was convicted of manslaughter, arson, and possession of firearms and ammunition in connection with the incident. Merseyside Police confirmed the convictions, stating that the group was also found guilty of related firearms offences.

In a separate but related revelation, Allen was previously sentenced in November 2023 at Liverpool Crown Court for serious sexual offences involving indecent images of children. He pleaded guilty to nine counts, including breaching the terms of the Sex Offenders' Register (SOR), distributing and downloading indecent images, and possessing extreme and prohibited pornography. Forensic examination of Allen's iPhone revealed 112 images in the most serious category A, depicting boys as young as three; 53 category B images; and 86 category C images. Additionally, he had downloaded extreme pornography involving sexual activity with animals such as horses and dogs, and distributed some indecent material online to four others. Allen, who had prior convictions for similar image offences in the UK and Holland, received a custodial sentence of three and a half years for these crimes.

Prosecutor Shannon Stewart highlighted the severity of the material during the 2023 hearing, noting the involvement of very young children and the extreme nature of the animal-related content. The Wirral Globe reported on Allen's dual convictions, emphasising his history as a convicted paedophile now also a killer. The men involved in the murder, including Allen, were scheduled for sentencing on 29 January 2025 at Liverpool Crown Court.

Source: Wirral Globe, Merseyside Police statements, Liverpool Crown Court proceedings.