Liam Smith: Dad killed by murder-plot pair was 'most kind soul'
Police handoutThe family of Liam Smith who was killed in a murder plotted by a woman he once met on Tinder and her new partner has said he had "the biggest and most kind-hearted soul".
The father-of-two was the victim of the "brutal and cold-blooded murder" in Shevington, Wigan, in November 2022.
On Thursday Rachel Fulstow and Michael Hillier were each handed jail sentences of over 30 years for the killing.
Mr Smith's family said he was "genuinely the best dad ever".
The 38-year-old died after he was shot in the face and then had acid poured over him by Hillier.
Greater Manchester PoliceThe trial at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard how Fulstow, 37, had met Mr Smith on Tinder and went on a date with him in York in 2019.
She later claimed they had "non-consensual sex" at a hotel before, years later, she and her new partner Hillier planned to kill him.
Fulstow began a relationship with Hillier, 39, in 2021 and the pair decided to "go down the vigilante route", the court heard.
Paying tribute after the sentencing hearing, Mr Smith's family said: "Liam was more than just a family member to us, he was our rock, our Liam.
"He had the biggest and most kind-hearted soul and would literally do anything for anyone.
"Liam's two boys were his biggest legacy. Everything he did in life was for his two boys.
"Liam will never get to do the things that fathers and sons should do - taking them off to college, taking them for their first legal pint whilst watching them both become adults."
'Heartbroken'
They continued: "Liam's life wasn't the only one that was destroyed that night. Everyone who knew and loved Liam have been left completely heartbroken, devastated and traumatised by the events that happened on the 24 November.
"It has been a living nightmare for us all - something which we would never wish on any other family.
"He has been denied the chance to publicly clear his name."
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