My nephew the killer (From This Is Cheshire)

My nephew the killer

8:00am Thursday 12th April 2007 in News By Rebecca Kelly

RYAN Palin was an angel' now he is serving life in prison for his part in the brutal killing of a vulnerable man.

This week, his uncle, who once brought up the 15-year-old, blamed a terrible childhood, his wild mum and blunders by social services.

Lee Palin told the Warrington Guardian: "Ryan is not a monster he never was, it is just that his life has been made into a disaster.

"I'm not sympathetic to what he did to that poor man in fact, I'm heartbroken this is the decision he made.

"This must never happen again to any innocent victim like Mr Atherton or an innocent child so corrupted and violated."

Ryan, of Grasmere Avenue, Orford, along with Craig Dodd, aged 17, were jailed for life at Warrington Crown Court last week after they admitted beating David Atherton, aged 40, and dumping his blood stained body in the Mersey.

After his death, the pair boasted to friends of what they had done and took them to the spot, near Kingsway Bridge, where they had thrown the body.

Mr Palin, the only brother of Ryan's father, Scott, who died in 1993, decided to speak out in an attempt to prevent a similar tragedy happening again.

Mr Palin, a pilot living in Florida, added: "I want to make sure this never happens again and no other kids are pushed into the darkness like Ryan.

"He was an angel when he lived with us, so good. He is a product of his awful life and constant neglect from Warrington's social services.

"For more than a year, Ryan and his younger brother lived with my wife and I on a farm in Nottingham, they loved it.

"Their school grades were improving and they were lovely kids," added Mr Palin.

But that all changed, claims Mr Palin, when social services insisted the brothers go back to live with their mum, Debbie Green.

"Social services just washed their hands of those children, the judge called Ryan feral but it was his mother who made him like that.

"All Ryan needed was love and attention to stop this. There are too many children running wild in Warrington."

Now all Miss Green's children have been taken into care.

In court Ryan's barrister, Charles Chruszcz, said his mother had allowed her son, who was on the Child Protection Register, to be missing for days and never called the police.

While his sentence report said: "It is not the son who is inherently bad, it is the family circumstances, Miss Green's failures."

Mr Palin who has a five-year-old daughter and eight-month-old son added: "This case was worldwide news, just Google Ryan Palin and it's one of those people you'd meet in hell.

"If another potential victim like Ryan could be saved it would be a blessing."

John Dunkerley, head of service for children's social care and youth services at the council, said: "This has been a very sad and tragic case and our thoughts go to the families of the victims and those who committed the offence.

"The council has supported Ryan, and his extended family, for many years. During that time, a wide range of services were offered to Ryan. Unfortunately, they were clearly not sufficient in this case.

"While we understand that this can be a distressing time for all those involved, the council and partner agencies can only offer services and support. It is up to the individual to accept them.

"When the allegations against Ryan first came to light we immediately examined our procedures and our involvement in this case, as did all other agencies.

"Following those investigations, we believe we have a range of robust services in place which although sadly were ineffective in this case, are generally effective in supporting other children, young people and their families."