Three men and boy, 14, murdered man in pub car park

Three men have been jailed after they punched and kicked to the ground a father-of-two, who "posed no threat", and left him for dead in a pub car park.

Matthew Adams, 33, died four days after he was attacked at the Gough Arms on Jowetts Lane, West Bromwich, in the early hours of 19 March 2023.

On Monday, Mark Shorthouse, 54, John Wise, aged 43, and 31-year-old Ryan Stanley were all jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years, after being found guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court of murder and violent disorder.

A 17-year-old boy, who was 14 at the time and cannot be named, was ordered to be held in custody for a minimum of seven years, having been convicted of the same charges.

A fifth person, Nichola Stanley, 40 from Sandwell, was sentenced to 20 months in jail, after being convicted of violent disorder.

On the day of the fatal brawl, Shorthouse, of Church Vale, West Bromwich, Wise, from Sandwell, and Stanley, of Peel Street, West Bromwich, surrounded Adams throughout the attack before leaving him unconscious and bleeding on the ground, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

Adams, who had been attending a family celebration, was able to make it home to recover but ended up in hospital and died four and a half days later.

Using CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts and medical evidence, prosecutors found the group acted together to carry out the attack and continued to use violence even when the victim was clearly incapacitated.

The jury in the case had heard the violence started inside the pub and then escalated after spilling out into the car park.

In a tribute, issued through police, Adams' family described him as a "devoted daddy" and "loving son".

"Matt's smile and cheeky laugh could cheer up the darkest of days and his sense of humour will always be remembered by us all," they said.

"Our lives will never be the same, we will continue to remember all those amazing memories we had with Matt, and we will cherish them forever.

"He was the life and soul of our family, and our hearts will be forever broken.

"Our family have seen and heard the horrific violence Matt was subjected to and we are appalled by it, and utterly devastated that Matt lost his life as a result of it with little or no remorse shown from those involved "

Georgina Davies, from the CPS, said: "This was a brutal and sustained group attack on a man who posed no threat. The defendants acted together, delivering a prolonged assault that ultimately cost a life."

Det Insp Joe Davenport from West Midlands Police added: "Wise, Shorthouse, Stanley and the teenager subjected Matthew to a brutal attack where he was punched, kicked and dragged on the floor. Matthew was left helpless.

"The violence and their desire to keep attacking despite Matthew's clear injuries was vicious.

"Nichola Stanley repeatedly hit Matthew and others in the pub, adding to the out-of-control disorder."

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