Thugs who killed Reece Cox outside pub locked up for nearly 100 years combined
Six men who beat to death a young father who tried to break up a fight on a night out have been locked up for nearly 100 years.
Adam Ashwin, Wayne Burke, Shaquel Halliday, Shane Jones, and Sebastian Jones were sentenced to life in prison with minimum terms of between 16-and-a-half and 18 years for the murder of 24-year-old Reece Cox.
Ryan Nicklin, who was found guilty of manslaughter, was jailed for 12 years at the hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday.
Judge Michael Chambers said the killers had been "spoiling for a fight" when they killed Mr Cox who had been on a night out in Sedgley on August 15 last year.
He and some friends had been in The Clifton Wetherspoon pub when they decided to call it a night and get food before going home.
WATCH: CCTV shows build-up to murder
WARNING: Contains distressing footage
When one of the people Mr Cox had met that night accidentally bumped into a teenager called Joe Williams the killers attacked another of Mr Cox's friends Grant Danbury, who Ashwin dragged into the road and back towards The Clifton.
When Mr Cox stepped in to try and stop the violence, he was surrounded by the group who threw punches and kicks at him as he tried in vain to defend himself.
All six killers denied murder despite CCTV footage of the violence existing which showed the mob nature of the attack which ended with Ashwin kicking Mr Cox in the head as he tried to get up from the floor, knocking him unconscious.
But jurors found Nicklin guilty of manslaughter and the other five killers guilty of murder after five-and-a-half hours of deliberations.
The judge sentenced Burke, Shaquel Halliday and Shane Jones to minimum terms of 18 years and Sebastian Jones to 17 years.
Ashwin's minimum 18-year term was reduced to 16-and-a-half years after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Nicklin was given a 12-year term of which he will have to serve at least eight years.
The men have all already served around eight months in custody.
Addressing those convicted of killing Mr Cox, Judge Michael Chambers said: "You are all to be sentenced for your part in what in any view was an appalling violent incident.
"It has rightly attracted widespread public condemnation."
He added: "You were spoiling for a fight. You were each involved in an unprovoked gratuitous attack on Grant Danbury in a public street.
"When Reece Cox had the courage and sense of public duty to intervene to protect Grant Danbury you turned on him and subjected him to a sustained and vicious attack. He was grossly outnumbered and defenceless.
"Your actions were brazen, you attacked him as a pack in a public place."
Describing the moments seen on CCTV after Mr Cox lay on the ground unconscious, Judge Chambers said: "Some of you are seen to continue to behave in an aggressive manner, bouncing around and others hugging in an apparent triumphant way.
"Reece Cox could be described as a modern day Samaritan."
Ashwin, 20, of Monument Lane, Sedgley, Burke, 23, of Queens Street, Pensnett; Shaquel Halliday, 23, of Shadwell Drive, Lower Gornal; Shane Jones, 26, of Orchard Grove, Lower Gornal; Nicklin, 22, of Limes Avenue, Pensnett; and Sebastian Jones, 19, of Corser Street, Dudley, were also convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and violent disorder.
At the start of the trial, two other men Tyrone Halliday, aged 24, of Shadwell Drive, Lower Gornal, and Joe Williams, 18 of Frome Close, Lower Gornal, pleaded guilty to affray and causing actual bodily harm retrospectively.
Tyrone Halliday was given a community order for two years, 150 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. Joe Williams was sentenced to a sentence of 12 months, reduced to 10 for his guilty plea, suspended for two years, 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days and to complete the Resolve programme. The pair hugged once they were told they could be released.
Mr Ian Jobling, defending Shaquel Halliday, said he had been to Manchester University and was working as a gas engineer up until his arrest.
Mr Ghulam Ahmed, defending Wayne Burke, said: "I know Mr Burke has a number of previous convictions, but in his own words he was young and stupid and he's done a lot of growing up.
"He knows that he has shamed his family and is concerned of the impact of this on his elderly mother. But he knows he has nobody but himself to blame."
Ms Sue Rodham, defending Shane Jones, said he is still a "relatively young man" and has two young children who are his greatest concern.
Mr Daffydd Enoch, defending Ashwin, said: "There are no excuses, it is what it is and Mr Ashwin has to face the consequences."
Mr Imran Shafi, on behalf of Sebastian Jones, said: "This defendant is the youngest of all of these being sentenced and he has never been arrested before."
And Mr Martin McCarthy, defending Ryan Nicklin, said he has no convictions or cautions.
