Crosbie, 23, had traveled to Manchester with a group of about 10 friends from their Newcastle home while Mr Wood was out with his wife to celebrate her birthday. The strangers met on Dantzic Street outside Printworks in downtown Manchester when Crosbie and others were evicted from the popular nightclub.
They had refused to leave a table in O’Neill’s pub, which was being removed to make room for a track at night. After escorting them to Danzik Street, Mr. Wood, from Middleton, walked with his wife, Debbie, where a nasty quarrel broke out.
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The couple had been drinking and enjoying a meal to celebrate their birthday. As Mr Wood passed by, he pointed to the security guards and said he thought he was “out of order”, the Manchester Crown Court heard.
Shortly afterwards, Crosbie punched Mr Wood. The court heard that it was most likely a false identity and that Crosbie actually intended to hit a fake.
“Mr. Wood was not even looking at Mr. Crosby when he dropped his fist,” said Attorney General Rob Hall. Mr Wood, described as a loving, hardworking and loyal father and grandfather, was pronounced dead about an hour later after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
His beloved wife was by his side as he was dying on the street, after the tragic incident at around 20:00 on Saturday, November 20 last year. Now Crosbie, who has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, has been jailed for seven years.
Kevin Wood and his wife Debbie
Alan Foster, who turned 40 that day, and Kevin Docherty, 41, admitted to their role in the ugly brawl with the door staff on a busy Christmas Eve Saturday night.
“Some children had to be abused by their parents,” said Judge Anthony Cross QC.
Foster and Docherty were jailed for four months.
“A foolish act has taken away so much from my whole family,” said Wood’s daughter, Chloe Rourke. “It seems so unfair and unfair that Callum will one day be free to live his life, while our family must live without my dad in ours.”
Ms Wood said she was “tormented” by their decision to go to Manchester that night. He said: “Why did I not just stay local or go for curry? Kev would still be with me.”
Prosecutors said Crosbie, a cast, had already “lost his temper” earlier that night. He had gotten into an argument with his girlfriend and was beaten by a member of the public after he was apparently denied entry to a bar. The judge said he was “clearly looking for trouble”.
The Newcastle team later found a table at O’Neill’s at Printworks. The table was kept from 20:00, as it was to be removed to make room for a track.
Police at the scene of the attack (Image: Joel Goodman)
After being politely asked to leave the table, Crosbie told staff to “exclude.” Security staff at the pub were asked to expel the team and later sought support from Printworks analysts as the team continued to refuse to comply.
A nasty quarrel broke out after the group was escorted to Danzic Street, with the bouncers raising a wall by the door staff to prevent them from entering. Dotserti exchanged punches with a security guard, and Foster pulled out his watch before punching a janitor.
Crosbie tried to “wind up” the security staff and said aggressively “come then”. Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Wood made their way along Dantzic Street, enjoying their night out without causing “any harm or problem to anyone.”
As he passed, Mr Wood pointed to the security guards and said he thought he was “out of order”. Most porters wore high-aesthetic jackets, but some wore dark monochrome clothing.
Callum Crosby
“It looks like Mr. Crosby may have mistaken Mr. Wood for a security guard,” Hall said. Crosby struck Mr. Wood with “full force” in the jaw, causing him to fall to the ground.
On May 21, about an hour later, Mr. Wood was pronounced dead. Crosby did not go to help Mr. Wood or check on his condition. He was pursued by security guards and arrested shortly afterwards.
“It is clear he was not at all concerned about who was attacked,” Judge Anthony Cross QC said. “Not once did he look in the direction of the dying.
“Not for a second, while others were trying to help, did the same. He remained violent until the end.”
Judge Anthony Cross QC
In a blood test hours later, Crosbie had traces of cocaine and cannabis as well as alcohol in his system. Mr Wood’s family has been devastated and injured by the loss.
“She would never hurt anyone,” Ms Rourke said of her father. “He loved and cared for my mom more than anyone could.”
Earlier that day, Mr. Wood was renovating their home, which they planned to sell, hoping to reduce the size. They usually traveled abroad to celebrate Mrs. Wood, but decided to stay home and go out to eat.
“I lost the best part of my life, my soulmate,” said Ms. Wood, 61. “I have so many questions about his killer, but they will probably never be answered.
“What choices did Calum Crosby make that night? Was he looking for a fight? Was he angry about something? Did he see my Kev as an easy target?”
“I think you know what kind of person you are and what you can do with a drink.”
He added: “None of this makes sense to me. This is something that happens to other people you see on the news.
“I was living that night again and again. I could not believe he was gone. He looked like he was going to get up. I even asked a fake to help me get him up.”
Speaking about Crosbie, he added: “She took my husband, my future. She has turned my world upside down and I can never see an end to my grief.”
Police respond after the attack (Image: Joel Goodman)
Addressing Crosbie, Ms Rourke said: “Can you imagine being taken to a police car to say your father would not make it? We hope Callum Crosbie and the people he was out with that night have learned. from their actions and choices they made.
“We hope no other family can endure the devastation and pain you have caused us. I know that Calum Crosby will never suffer like me. But I hope he regrets his actions and tells others the dangers of someone from punches. “
Defense lawyers argued that security personnel had “heavy hands”, which had “ignited” the situation. Jonathan Turner, for Crosbie, said his behavior was “out of character”.
“It was plaster, it did little but it worked,” Turner said. “He did not go out every weekend causing annoyance to himself.”
Mr Turner said the death of Crosbie’s father “increased his sympathy” for Mr Wood’s family. Judge Cross said he accepted that Crosby, who had no previous convictions, was truly remorseful.
Defending Foster, a self-employed shipping ship, Robert Terton said the father of four, who has previous convictions but has never been to prison, is usually “gentle” and “polite”.
Gavin Doig, defending Docherty’s father, who had no previous convictions, said there was an element of “provocation” as Docherty had been beaten and beaten more than once before becoming violent.
Foster and Docherty’s lawyers appealed for the couple to be released from prison, noting that their families would be affected as they relied on them to pay their mortgages. The couple will serve half their sentence in prison, while Crosby will serve two-thirds in prison.
Crosbie, of Colebridge Court, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Dockerty, of Kyloe Villas, Newcastle, and Foster, of Kyloe Place, Newcastle, admitted to the altercation.
After the hearing, Detective Inspector Mark Davis of the GMP Major Cases Team said: of Kevin who are still reconciled. with what was happening that night every day. The security staff just did their job and Kevin was a passerby who lost his life in the most devastating way that night. This is a reminder that a simple punch can result in someone being killed and I would urge everyone to really think twice.
“You never know what is going to happen and Kevin is just one of many victims all these years who have sadly died as a result. Crosbie is now behind bars, away from his family, thinking about his actions and no doubt regretting them every day. “It left not only Kevin’s family devastated and at a loss, but without a doubt his own.”
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