Hello Everyone

[kathb00]

    My Name is Kathy this site was recommended to me by Andy.
  My son was beaten to death in 2009 by a gang of drunken kids .
Basically they got away with it.  2 got just 100 hours community service
1 got 80 hours community service.  and all got supervision orders.

[Joanne]

Welcome to the forum, please feel free to share your experience with us and let us know if we can do anything to help you.

[John]

    My Name is Kathy this site was recommended to me by Andy.
  My son was beaten to death in 2009 by a gang of drunken kids .
Basically they got away with it.  2 got just 100 hours community service
1 got 80 hours community service.  and all got supervision orders.

Hi Kathy.

Welcome to the forum.  The attack on your son was cowardly and the fact that nobody has been jailed is appalling.  Is there more information you can give us as to who his attackers were?

[kathb00]

  This is my story or should I say my son Danny's story, Dannys side has never been told because he is dead.
   
 On the 27th May 2009 ( the night of the Champions league Final united v Barcslona)  After watching the match at home with our family and a friend of his, Danny walked his friend to the bus stop to make sure he got on his bus safe as his friend was a little worse for ware. Whilst they were at the bus stop they were approached by a group of 5 lads . At some point a scuffle broke out with Danny and the lads. We are not sure why  this started .  All i know for a fact that I heard voices out side in the street which is approxamatley 200 yards from the bus stop. I looked out my bedroom window to see one topless man surrounded by a gang . tThat topless man was Danny, my son.
By the time I managed to get down the stairs and get out side Danny was on the floor and was struggling to get to his feet.  My Daughter and partner had followed me out side . My daughter put herself between the gang and my son. we managed to get Danny inside where he instantley colapsed into a coma. He died 5 days later having never regained consciousness.
   3 of the 5 teenage boys aged all 15 and 16 yeard old were finally charged with his manslaughter and violent disorder.
 its a complicated case as the only one who could tell Danny's side was his friend and he has little recollection of what happened.  one of the boys decided to give evidence against his friends and became a prosecution witness telling his and his friends side of the story.  This same boy continued to socialise with the defendants on the run up to the trial. We have been told that in the 5 days while we waited by Dannys bedside all the families of the lads got together and had meetings to get there stories straight.  1 of the lads pleaded guilty to manslaughter and the other pleaded not guilty.
  Basically all I can tell you is what I and friends heard in court and that is that one indepandant witness passed danny and his friend in the street and they exchanged pleasentries and that they were jovial.  They claimed that Danny started a fight with them and they were forced to defend themselves. other independant witnesses said that they saw danny shake his attackers by the hand to try to pacify his attackers only to be attacked again imediatley afterwards, I believe he shook them by the hand twice.  he was even heard say go away leave me alone I have had enough but they kept fighting they tore his football shirt off him peices of it were found over 2 streets.  yes he did say "come on then"  Because there was no one to tell how it started except the gang of lads and they all claim it  was self defence the judge ordered the jury to find the lads not guilty of manslaughter. Which left just the violent disorder.   The one lad that pleaded guilty was brought back into court and told to take back his guilty plea. the Jury were not allowed to be told of the 3rd lad who pleaded guilty so as far as they were concerned it was simply  2 against 1 (my son danny)  instead of  3 against 1. They jury can in with a guilty verdict of 11 to 12.    All the 3 lads were drunk and when questioned they just kept saying I was drunk and cant remember.  Yes Danny had had a drink but he wasnt drunk he was a grown man of 24 who had never been in any kind of trouble in his life he was a quiet man. All of  his attackers had been known to be violent before and I believe have been violent since.  One of the girlfriends of the attackers told a relative of mine that the lads were angry because United had lost to Barcalona and they just wanted to fight someone.   I have timed and filmed where they claim the fight started and it doesnt add up. I told this to the procecution barrister and he just shrugged his shoulders at me I also told the police of the procecution witness socialing with the defendants on the run up to the trial but they said there was nothing they could do. it is complicated i know.    I have added a photo of his mobile phone. They claim he threaten to slit there throats with this .  to slit someone throat is not the terminology danny would use but is a terminology his attackers use all the time.   Danny was a quiet lad and man ( he was going deaf ) and he kept himself to himself.  I know I am speaking as a mother and people are going to say i would say anything and any mother believes her child cant do any wrong . But danny was a peaceful young man, who had been to uni and was due to go back packing the week following his death.

[kathb00]

   I am happy to answer any questions, no matter how distressing they might seem and to delve as deep as it takes .

[Joanne]

Thank you for telling us about your case.

[John]

Thank you for sharing this with us Kathy, I can see straight away why your son was attacked in the street by that mob.  Justice has most certainly not been done.

If you can, please post their names, what they were charged with and what sentence they received please.

Can you also tell me if you appealed and if there are any on-going proceedings in the case?

[kathb00]

The ring leader is called josh Davies. He got 100 hours community service plus 3year supervision order. As did Ryan cuthbert and Then there was amiar catterick he pleaded guilty and had to take his plea back he got 80 hours community service. Ryan cuthbert attacked someone else 6 months after he was sentenced.  i believe all have been involved in violence since they killed danny

[John]

I have just had a look at Danny's amazing website.  I think it is well worth sharing with others.

http://www.dannybarberlegend.com/barber.html

Sun article

Salford Advertiser article




Danny Barber, 24, was set upon by a gang of youths while waiting at a bus stop after watching a Champion's League final football match at his Highbury Avenue home, in Irlam.

Still wearing his Manchester United shirt the ex-Irlam and Cadishead Community High School Pupil then staggered towards his house, collapsing on the corner of Highbury Avenue and Broadway, a few feet from his home.

After the attack, which took place around 10.40pm, on Wednesday, May 27, Danny was taken to Salford Royal Hospital.

His family and friends stayed by his bedside but Danny did not regain consciousness and five days later, on Monday, June 1, his family agreed that his life support machine should be switched off.

His attackers got Community Service!

[kathb00]

One thing i do want to say is. A grown man (not drunk or on any drugs).  does not pick a fight with 5 drunk youths all of equal size and height. To him.   he was not fighter he shyed. Away from trouble. Everyone of his killed had be known to be violent

[John]

One thing i do want to say is. A grown man (not drunk or on any drugs).  does not pick a fight with 5 drunk youths all of equal size and height. To him.   he was not fighter he shyed. Away from trouble. Everyone of his killed had be known to be violent

I quite agree Kathy.  Did the Crown lodge an appeal or have proceedings finally ended?   >@@(*&)

[kathb00]

 No appeal was ever lodged .  The CPS did nothing,  when ever I challenged the cps barrister, he just shrugged his shoulders at me.  I was told,  when he did say something just before sentencing the judge shut him down saying that these lads had ,had a tough year whilst awaiting trial ( one had the tag he had been given for breaking i
his bail conditions removed so he could go on holiday to benidorm and it was not put back on for 3 months so he had a brilliant time doing what ever he wanted unchecked.

[Tim Invictus]

Wow I missed this whole story. Kathy if you're still reading on here, I am very sorry for the loss of your son in such appalling circumstances. That judge should be ashamed of himself ... can you name him on here please? I have never heard of a judge telling a defendant to withdraw his guilty plea!!!!!

 

[Angelo222]

I'm glad you brought this case out again Tim.   

I must have missed it as well, probably something else distracted me at the time it was being discussed.  What an awful thing to happen to Kathy's son.  These drunken louts act like a pack of mad dogs when they are out together, it only takes something to be said for them to over react.  From what I have seen this happens all too frequently but the judge in this particular case appears to have been extremely lenient with the 'poor lads'?!

[beaufoy]

Hello I see the post was made some time ago, but I will try to give my thoughts.
I assume with the offence taking place in England there must be cctv footage...was it all released or did the police say the cameras were broken
5 lads against 2 lads means the 5 lads cannot plead self defence.
Prosecution witness friendly with defendants underminds the case.
Concerning the defendants families meeting to discuss their stories...the prosecution barrister should have found flaws in made up stories, or produced evidence that the families had been meeting.
Come on then is something that could be said by the innocent party...it is not an aggressive statement.
  I agree with the judge that the jury should not be told about other pleadings in the case, but I do not agree that the judge should instruct the jury as to what the verdict should be, or instruct a plea to be changed.
   According to what has been written it would seem the prosecution barrister either didn't care, or even worse was helping the accused.
   This case sounds like the stephen Lawrence case where the lads got away initially because one of their dads was paying a police officer, and one of their dads was a freemason which helps a lot in getting guilty people off