Warrington Guardian journalists reworked their newspaper when guilty verdicts in the Garry Newlove murder trial were returned right on deadline.

The paper had already been put to bed because it appeared verdicts were unlikely before the deadline, despite nearly three weeks of deliberations by the jury.

But when jurors convicted three teenagers of murder and cleared two others at Chester Crown Court at 2.50pm on Wednesday, Guardian staff went to work.

Frantic calls to production and the press at Glasgow secured a new deadline of 5pm.

Subs began work on ready-to-go background material on the murder trial that shocked the nation.

Meanwhile, staff turned around a fresh splash and pictures from a press conference at Chester with seconds to spare.

Web journalists ensured all the coverage was online and updated as soon as news broke. A special section was set up, pulling together the mass of material relating to the Newlove case. This included an in-depth video backgrounder and a forum for readers to comment on. Reader reaction was immediate, with people posting their comments on the website.

The paper carried the new splash and two inside pages, including police mugshots of the three convicted teenagers and a family photograph of Garry Newlove and his widow, Helen, and their three daughters.

Crime reporter Neil Docking was interviewed on BBC Radio Manchester about the paper’s coverage of the case.

Guardian group editor Nicola Priest said: “I’m very proud of the Warrington Guardian team’s efforts. They did not think twice about tearing up the front three pages to make way for the breaking Newlove news.

“It was a bit hairy trying to get everything done in time for the press slot, but I think the results were worth all the effort.”

Father-of-three Garry Newlove was attacked outside his home in Station Road North, Fearnhead, Warrington, in August last year. He had gone out to remonstrate with a gang of teenagers that was vandalising his wife’s car.

The court heard that he was knocked to the ground and kicked in the head like a football. He died in hospital two days later.