Two jailed for part in fight that led to murder

Three men have been sentenced after being found guilty of conspiring to commit violent disorder that ultimately led to the murder of a teenager.

Matthew Daulby, 19, from Liverpool, was knifed in the chest after two groups clashed outside a bar in Ormskirk, Lancashire, on 29 July 2023.

Alfie Forsyth 21 and James Evans 22, from Liverpool, were jailed for 34 months. Samuel Hopgood, 21, also from the city, was handed a two-year suspended sentence.

The jury heard the men had travelled to Ormskirk to seek revenge after one of Evans' friends had been assaulted by Thomas Dures, who was jailed for life for Mr Daulby's murder in July.

Dures, 22, had gone on the run, but eventually handed himself in at a police station in Greece.

Henry Houghton, of Scarisbrick, was jailed last year for a minimum of 20 years for his role in Mr Daulby's murder.

Police had attended Railway Road in Ormskirk just after midnight on 29 July 2023 to reports "of an ongoing disturbance".

Mr Daulby was found a short distance away with serious stab injuries and later died in hospital.

Detectives discovered a man had been assaulted by Dures near a pub in Wheatsheaf Walk, Ormskirk, the night before, after confirming he was friends with Evans.

The man called Evans to tell him what had happened and Evans travelled from the city centre via his home address to the Maghull area to meet Mr Daulby, Hopgood and Forsyth.

The man who had been assaulted by Dures then sent a Snapchat video to a group chat, containing the defendants, which outlined that he had been attacked.

There were then a number of messages outlining that the defendants in Maghull would go to Ormskirk "to seek revenge on Dures", police said.

This was evidenced on the group chat by Hopgood stating "we're ready now" and a further message.

As they were heading towards Ormskirk, the man who had been assaulted was giving them updates as to the whereabouts of Dures and Houghton and how many people they were with.

It was by engaging in this behaviour that the defendants conspired to commit violent disorder, police said.

It was shortly after they arrived in Railway Road that the fatal fight broke out and Mr Daulby was struck with a sock containing a rock by Houghton and was fatally stabbed by Dures.

Another man was also stabbed and went to hospital. Evans and two other people suffered injuries thought to have been inflicted by a knife, but did not attend hospital.

None of the defendants ever came forward to say what had happened to Mr Daulby.

In a victim impact statement to the court, his dad Gary said: "The knowledge that a conspiracy existed and contributed to Matthew's death has left me and my family totally shocked.

"And I still do not know fully what the beef was that started all of this.

"The loss of Matthew has ruined our lives. We now live a very different life to the life we had before."

Det Ch Insp Andy Fallow said the trio's "reckless criminal conspiracy contributed to this tragic outcome".

"I hope that young men across the county take notice of this case and the devastating consequences of choosing violence," he said.

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