'This is not right': Jury told final words of heroic Reece Cox who died defending friend
The final words of a young and heroic father killed while defending a friend outside a Sedgley pub were recalled to jurors in a murder trial today.
Reece Cox had been out drinking with his friend Callum Anderson, on the night of August 15 last year, when they came across Grant Danbury who was being punched and kicked outside The Clifton pub.
Mr Cox, aged 24, who had been speaking with Mr Danbury and his girlfriend Kelly Timmins earlier that day in The White Horse pub, said "This is not right" and went over to help, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
Mr Cox was then repeatedly punched and kicked by the same group of men outside the premises, costing him his life, the jury heard.
Six men, aged between 19 and 26, are charged with Mr Cox's murder.
Taking to the witness stand, Mr Anderson said he and Mr Cox were walking to a pizza shop in the town centre when they saw a "to do happening".
He said: "I know, as we were walking, a female was on her own and the male was being set upon by a group of males, outside the main entrance of The Clifton.
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"They were wrestling with him, he was trying to get away. I saw a group of males setting up on him, kicking him and punching him. He was trying to get away but was being brought back into them.
"Reece said 'This is not right'. I replied 'This is not our fight'. He carried on over to the group."
Asked about the level of violence being carried out, Mr Anderson said: "It was viscous, there was intent to harm."
Both he and Mr Cox and been speaking with Mr Danbury and Miss Timmins at The White Horse earlier.
Mr Anderson continued: "He [Reece] had his arms up and said 'Get away'. He said 'Come on'. He drew attention from the guy getting beat up.
"They just continued straight to him. There was no speaking.
Repeatedly
"I saw him [Reece] being kicked and punched repeatedly. He was taken to the ground and continued to be kicked and punched until the group must have seen he was no longer in a stable condition, and they went."
Mr Anderson recalled he and Mr Cox talking about football earlier that evening, particularly Wolves, who Mr Cox supported.
Evidence was also heard from Steven Andrew Pritchard, who was a doormen working at The Clifton that night.
A written statement was read out to jurors, in which he recalled hearing a loud bang, before letting Mr Danbury into the The Clifton, who "fell towards him" and was bleeding from his face.
He said: "I was aware of a group of people fighting outside. I thought they were fighting amongst themselves, being like animals.
"I could see a group of people gathered by the windows, there was a crowd of people."
He said a man screamed and said "They are still fighting out there".
As the doormen looked through a window, he said he saw a "white trainer on the floor". "The leg was twitching," he said.
"I remember thinking I have got to go and save him. I went into zombie mode. I turned left outside the front entrance, there was a male on his back, half a metre away from the building."
Mr Pritchard said that as he reached Mr Cox, he could not see him moving but recalled hearing a "snoring noise".
Sorting
He was joined by an off-duty police officer, and shouted at the pub for someone to call for an ambulance.
Mr Pritchard said there was a male with a "white top" who was "peering" over the victim and saying "I don't agree with this".
"I told him we were sorting it."
Mr Pritchard then heard someone say "Watch your back" and a man, which he described as the "light blue male", appear nearby.
CCTV of the attack had showed one of the attackers wearing a light blue top.
Mr Pritchard said: "He said 'I am not going to do anything'. He said 'I am just walking past'.
"I replied 'Walk then'. I pointed him around the victim. All I wanted to do was to get the victim to safety."
He described himself as going into "father" mode and said he was stroking Mr Cox's head.
Adam Ashwin, 20, of Monument Lane, Sedgley, denies murder.
Wayne Burke, 23, of Queens Street, Pensnett; Shaquel Halliday, 22, of Shadwell Drive, Lower Gornal; Shane Jones, 26, of Orchard Grove, Lower Gornal; Ryan Nicklin, 22, of Limes Avenue, Pensnett; and Sebastian Jones, 19, of Corser Street, Dudley, deny murder, manslaughter, assault actioning actual bodily harm and violent disorder.
The trial continues.
