- Murder of Garry Newlove
-
Garry Newlove (5 November 1959 - 12 August 2007) was an English man beaten to death in August 2007 in the UK.[1] His murder launched an upset in the UK over the two offenders who had been drinking underage. Former Chief Constable Peter Fahy called for the legal age of buying alcohol to increase to the age of 21 as a result of the Garry Newlove murder.[2] His widow Helen Newlove condemned the Government for failing to get to grips with youth disorder afterwards.
Contents
Incident
Newlove was attacked outside his house in Warrington, Cheshire, on 10 August 2007, having gone outside to confront a gang of youths who were vandalising his Renault Scenic car. He died in hospital two days later.
Arrests
Three teenagers were arrested and charged with his murder on 14 August 2007 and remanded in custody.[3] A fourth teenager was charged and remanded the next day[4] and the fifth and final suspect was charged and remanded on 13 September.[5]
Adam Swellings, 19 and from Crewe, went on trial at Chester Crown Court charged with the murder on 14 November 2007, along with two 17-year-olds, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old who could not be named for legal reasons.[6]
Verdicts
On 16 January 2008, Swellings was convicted of Mr Newlove's murder, along with 17-year-old Stephen Sorton and 16-year-old Jordan Cunliffe. The two other teenagers were cleared of any involvement in the killing and walked free from court.[7] The three convicted murderers were remanded in custody until being sentenced to life imprisonment on 11 February 2008. The trial judge recommended that Swellings, Sorton and Cunliffe should serve minimum terms of 17, 15 and 12 years respectively.[8]
Appeals
Swellings and Sorton appealed against their convictions and sentences. Their case was heard at the Court of Appeal on 13 November 2008. Swellings lost the appeal against his conviction and sentence, although Sorton won a two-year reduction on his minimum sentence.[9]
His widow Helen Newlove has since joined forces with the local and national media, in particular The Sun newspaper, to campaign for a clampdown on gangs like the one who claimed her husband's life, with heavier prison sentences and a return of the death penalty for murder.[10]
Cunliffe later appealed against his murder conviction on the grounds that he had not taken part in the attack on Mr Newlove, although he had been present when it happened. On 26 July 2010, the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal.[11]He is now reported to be challenging his murder conviction (obtained on the grounds of joint enterprise as he reportedly did not take part in the attack despite being present when the others took part) on the grounds that he could barely see the attack taking place due to a degenerative eye condition, which he and his supporters (including his mother Janet) claim would make him not guilty of murder. The campaign also calls for an end to the ability of the legal system to secure a murder conviction against someone on the grounds of joint enterprise if they were present but did not actually commit the killing.[12]BAFTA winning screen-writer Jimmy McGovern is reportedly using the case of Jordan Cunliffe as a base for a new television drama.[13]
References
- ^ Newlove killers launch appeals
- ^ "Police chief urges alcohol action". BBC News website. 15 August 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6947224.stm. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
- ^ "Youths remanded over man's death". BBC News. 14 August 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6945248.stm.
- ^ "Fourth youth in court over death". BBC News. 15 August 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6947440.stm.
- ^ "Fifth youth charged with murder". BBC News. 13 September 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6993774.stm.
- ^ "Youths accused of father's murder". BBC News. 14 November 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7094204.stm.
- ^ "Three convicted of Newlove murder". BBC News. 16 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7176471.stm.
- ^ "Newlove killers jailed for life". BBC News. 11 February 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7238496.stm.
- ^ "Newlove killer's appeal rejected". BBC News. 13 November 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7727010.stm.
- ^ "The Newlove Charter on Crime". The Sun (London). 31 January 2008. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/justice/article749795.ece.
- ^ "Garry Newlove killer's appeal dismissed". BBC News. 26 July 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-10763992.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
Categories:- English murder victims
- People murdered in England
- 2007 deaths
- People from Chester
- 1960 births
- Deaths by beating
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