POLICE are searching for a 27-year-old man suspected of the murder of a Widnes dad-of three. Detectives from Cheshire police want to speak to Christie O’Connor about the shooting of 30-year-old Wayne Basnett, who was killed in Pepper Street, Hale Village, just before Christmas 2010. Police have appealed to the public for help to trace his whereabouts. Co-accused Michael Eves, 24, has been charged with murder but his trial was discharged in May due to legal complications and he is now awaiting trial next year. A police hunt for Eves lasted nine months after he fled abroad and the jury at his last trial the jury heard O’Connor, thought to have been “intimately involved” with events surrounding the murder, had visited his friend overseas while he was a wanted man and enjoyed a trip to Valencia to watch Formula One. Police – who appealed for information on O’Connor on BBC’s Crimewatch on Thursday– said he has links with Liverpool, Spain, Holland and other European countries. He is 6ft and of proportionate build with blue eyes and a Liverpool accent. Mr Basnett, who was originally from Belle Vale but had moved to the Hough Green area of Widnes, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head just after midnight on December 22, 2010. He was discovered lying in the snow by police officers who had been called to the quiet village after reports of gunfire. He was taken to hospital by ambulance but died shortly after. Mr Basnett had three children – Lois and Thomas, who were three and four at the time of his death, and another son who was one when he died. After his death his sister Kellie described him as a ‘loveable rogue’. She said: “Everything Wayne did, he did for his kids. They were his aims in life. “He was always laughing, the life and soul of the party. “He never looked down on anybody, but treated them the same.” Mr Basnett ran a conservatory-fitting company. His killing is believed to have been a targeted execution. Eves was arrested on September 16 last year but has always denied Mr Basnett’s murder. Anyone with any information about O’Connor’s whereabouts should contact Cheshire police on 0845 4580000 quoting Operation Tee. | 
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