Ryan Kelly died at an explosion in Bristol on Saturday (Image: -)
The two victims of a horrific explosion at a Bristol property have been identified locally as Ryan Kelly and his former partner, Joanne Shaw. Neighbours claim Ryan, who had previously been convicted for his role as a foot soldier in a Breaking Bad-style drugs gang, travelled to his ex-partner’s Bristol residence with a grenade and killed himself along with Joanne.
One neighbour, Stuart Blanchard, said: “The partner’s gone there in a mental state. It wasn’t Jo’s house, it was her parent’s, she just lived there. She had split up with him and I think she moved there to escape from him. “She had been complaining to the police for some time before this incident and he had been harassing her.
“I’d heard the shouting before while having breakfast, something like ‘get out, get out’ but there’s something every week in this area so I didn’t go out,” reports The Mirror.
“Then there was a bang, it shook my front door. But my friend heard the kicking so went over. I thought it was a gas explosion so stayed inside.
“I’ve heard it was a hand grenade. I spoke to the guy who called 999 and he said the child was out on the trampoline. It will haunt him. She probably told him to go out there to get out of the way of them arguing.
“The police were here in seconds, They were called before the explosion. Another friend said he saw the police giving Jo CPR but when the explosives team arrived they had to leave in case there were more explosions. It was awful for them.” Neighbour Wayne Smith, 58, a carpenter, said: “He’s turned up at her house with a grenade and detonated it on the doorstep and killed the pair of them.”
Fellow resident Stuart added: “It’s a shock for everyone because they were a really nice family, I cannot believe it has happened. They were not what you would consider would cause problems. She has been here quite a while, at least three years, I think she originally came here to get away from him.”
Michael Gwyther, who recognised Ryan Kelly, said: “I just heard a blast, i thought someone was trying to kick through the door. They have been quiet recently. It was frightening and it set the dog right off.”
Kwestan Ahmed added: “I heard screaming and shouting, but I’m not sure if it was them or the police. I thought the bang was a car crash, I’d never never think it could be a bomb.”
John Sparkes described those residing in the property as a “lovely family. They were a lovely family and were always out in the garden.”
Ryan Kelly, who died in the blast, had previously served as a foot soldier in a Breaking Bad-style crystal meth gang led by a 78-year-old man battling cancer, according to reports.
Kelly, believed to have carried out the grenade attack that claimed his life and that of his former partner while leaving three others injured, was handed a five-year prison sentence in 2015 for his involvement in the operation, which drew comparisons to the hit television series.
The then 30-year-old, of Speedwell Road, Bristol, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine at a previous hearing before a trial. He was a member of a crystal meth gang orchestrated by a then 78-year-old George Roberts from Bristol, who was battling cancer.
The trial heard at the time that Roberts ran the plot from prison despite his illness and enlisted a self-taught chemist to establish a laboratory and produce the highly addictive drug crystal meth.
He assembled a UK-wide network, which included Kelly, who acquired a kilo of cocaine and intended to sell it for £60,000 so they could purchase chemicals and equipment from the Netherlands required to manufacture the drugs.
The case was likened at the time to the US television drama Breaking Bad, in which high school chemistry teacher Walter White begins producing crystal meth to raise funds after receiving a lung cancer diagnosis.
However, unlike the fictional storyline, the real-life scheme was foiled before operations could begin after undercover officers planted listening devices in their vehicles.
Nine members of the gang — which also planned to produce 20,000 ecstasy pills an hour — were all sentenced to prison following a three-month trial at Bristol Crown Court.
