Murder plot man faces 12 years

Ferrant, 50, of Gale Lane, Acomb, York, who solicited tattooist Martin Blythe to kill fellow York coach driver Paul Logan, was warned by a judge at Bradford Crown Court that a prison sentence of "some length" was inevitable.

Defence barrister Andrew Haslam said Ferrant could be facing between five or six and 12 years in jail.

Sentence was adjourned for three weeks for reports to be prepared.

The judge refused a request for bail.

The jury reached its unanimous decision - that Ferrant solicited Mr Blythe to murder Mr Logan - after deliberating for 90 minutes.

The verdict was greeted with relief by Paul Logan and his wife, Annette, with whom Ferrant had claimed he was having an affair.

Mrs Logan, who vehemently denied those claims, said: "We are glad he is getting punished, because we have suffered.

"But we are sad it has come to this.

"It has been very tense. It has been a very long week - the longest week of my life.

"We are also very relieved he has been remanded in custody, as we had been concerned we might still be at risk if he was given bail with nothing to lose."

The court was told on Monday that Ferrant had met Mr Blythe in a supermarket cafe in Harrogate and asked him to kill Mr Logan, who is also from Acomb.

Mr Blythe said Ferrant told him he had been having an affair with Mrs Logan, and her husband had been mentally cruel to her.

Ferrant told him he would write off the remaining £2,000 on a £4,000 loan if he agreed to kill Mr Logan.

Mr Blythe said he was stunned by the proposal, and informed police, who later secretly tape-recorded a telephone conversation between Ferrant and Mr Blythe during which Ferrant said he wanted Mr Logan to be "no more", and wanted a "6ft jobbie".

Before being convicted, Ferrant claimed in court yesterday he had only wanted Mr Blythe to "scare" Mr Logan, when they had met in the supermarket caf to discuss what he described as his "York problem".

Ferrant told the court the tattooist had said: "Who do you want killing?"

Asked by Mr Haslam what his reaction was, Ferrant replied: "I just thought it was a stupid comment."

He said he suggested to Mr Blythe that he should "have a word" with Mr Logan or, if need be, give him "a slap".

Ferrant said: "I said to him, because he (Mr Logan) is frightened of Mr Blythe because of his size and the people Martin Blythe knows, if he wanted to have a word with him with some of his friends he would hopefully listen."

Ferrant stressed that this should be done away from Mr Logan's house and not near his wife.

But he denied suggesting to Mr Blythe that he wanted Mr Logan killed.

The court heard how Mr Blythe had asked for Mr Logan's details, and Ferrant had later supplied him with a dossier which included his mobile number, home telephone number, age, address, car registration, work address, and where he went drinking when working in the south of England.

He also gave him a photograph of Mr Logan to "refresh his memory".

- We have been asked to point out that Martin Blythe, a City of York Council solicitor, has no connection with this court case.

Prescott men force death plot delays

THE court heard how Ferrant's plans for Paul Logan had to be put on hold - because he was driving John Prescott's General Election battlebus and was surrounded by Special Branch officers.

Mr Logan took the Deputy Prime Minister on a coach all around the country for about six weeks this spring as he campaigned for Labour to be returned to office for a third time.

But one day - about ten days before the election - he was taken aside and told of the death threats, and immediately removed from any more involvement in the election campaign.

The court was told that when Ferrant was asked when he expected Mr Blythe to carry out his "mission" against Mr Logan, he said he had known it could not happen for a couple of weeks because he was surrounded by Special Branch and MI5 officers while driving for the Deputy Prime Minister.

'The nightmare is over at last'

TRAUMATISED couple Paul and Annette Logan told today of their six-month living nightmare since their trusted friend hatched a plot to get Paul murdered.

The Acomb couple spoke out after it was claimed in court that York coach driver Anthony Ferrant had been having an affair with Paul's wife, Annette, and that Paul had been "mentally cruel" towards her.

Annette, 38, insisted today that:

:: She had never had an affair with 50-year-old Ferrant, saying: "He is big and fat and ugly. Can you imagine waking up next to him?"

:: Paul - also a coach driver - had never been cruel or abusive to her, saying they had a good relationship after 14 years of marriage.

She also revealed how she herself was arrested, handcuffed, taken to Harrogate police station, put in a cell and repeatedly questioned after coming under suspicion of involvement in the plot early in the police investigation. "It was horrendous. I was deeply traumatised," she said.

Paul, who was driving John Prescott's battlebus during the General Election campaign when the plot was hatched, revealed that he was immediately taken off driving duties for the Deputy Prime Minister once the plot emerged. "It was a security breach," he said.

"I thought at first it was a sick joke. Then my reaction was one of shock and horror, and concern for the safety of my daughter and of Annette."

He revealed his fears for his own safety had remained after Ferrant was arrested. "I have changed my car, I have taken a different route home each day."

He said he and Ferrant had double-driven coaches taking rock bands and tourist parties across Europe, and Ferrant had been his best friend. Now he felt that friendship had been betrayed.

"We took him in after he split from his wife," he said. "We let him sleep on the sofa. He stayed for about three months. I feel upset, angry, very betrayed and shocked," he said.

Harrogate tattooist Martin Blythe, who knew both Ferrant and Paul Logan, had told the court how Ferrant had met him in a supermarket caf and told him he would write off the remaining £2,000 on a £4,000 loan if he agreed to kill Paul. Mr Blythe said he was stunned by the proposal, and informed police, who later secretly tape recorded a telephone conversation with Ferrant during which he said he wanted Paul to be "no more" and wanted a "6ft jobbie".

Paul, 41, said he believed everything Mr Blythe had told the jury. "Why would he lie? I can see no reason."

He said he believed Ferrant had invented the claims about an affair because he was jealous. "He was jealous about our happy marriage, and about my ability to do my job and get on with people."

The couple thanked family members, friends, work colleagues, their solicitor and a counsellor for their support and help over the past six traumatic months.

My horror at 'husband murder plot' arrest

ANNETTE LOGAN told today of the moment a policeman's knock on her door turned her life upside down.

She said: "It was an ordinary Wednesday afternoon. I was about to go and get my daughter from school when I heard a knock. I opened the door and there were two men and a woman there.

"One of them said: 'I am arresting you for incitement to murder.' I said: 'You what?' I thought I was still asleep and I was dreaming. I was in shock. They allowed for me to make arrangements for someone else to pick my daughter up from school and then led me from the house in handcuffs - too tight - and then took me to Harrogate police station. I still didn't known what it was about.

"When I got there, they put me in a cell. One woman officer said: 'You can go in there and strip off,' then said that just happened in films and she was only joking. I thought: 'I'm glad you think this is funny.'

"A solicitor came later and told me what it was about.

"Later, I was interviewed by two detectives. One was quite nice, one of them wasn't so nice. They asked me if I had had a sexual relationship with Ferrant. I said: 'No.' I told them he was big and fat and ugly, and I would never go near the bloke. Can you imagine waking up next to someone like him?

"I was kept in the cell overnight. I couldn't sleep much- I was crying most of the time. I was interviewed again the next day and then eventually told I could go home, on police bail.

"My house had been searched. I understand why they had to do it, but it felt like a terrible invasion of my privacy.

"It was only in July that I got a letter telling me I was no longer under investigation, but I only found out last week that I would not be needed to give evidence in court.

"It has been a very stressful time and it's going to take time to get over it. I have been to a counsellor.

"I just want dull now. Just a dull life - that's all I ask."

Updated: 08:42 Thursday, October 20, 2005