Jailed: Man tried to kill friend in attack where he was stabbed and beaten with golf clubs
A man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempted murder after attacking his friend of 20 years at a tower block.
Adrian Molloy was one of five men to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday for the attack on October 30, 2020, in which his friend, then 56 years old, was stabbed 11 times and beaten with golf clubs by the group on October 30, 2020.
It followed a falling out between Molloy and the man earlier that day. Molloy and four other men confronted him in the lift before ambushing him.
Police immediately launched an investigation and found CCTV showing Molloy attacking the man, who was hospitalised for several weeks.
Officers arrested Molloy the following day on suspicion of attempted murder. He was positively identified despite shaving his beard and changing his hair style in the 24 hours since the attack.
Police also launched an appeal to trace the other men involved in the attack at the block of flats in Smiths Wood, Solihull, and successfully identified all four.
Molloy, 53, of Brownfield Road, Shard End, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempted murder, with an extended licence period of five years.
Melvin Gourlay, aged 40, of Station Road, Solihull, was given 30 months for unlawful wounding. He was also sentenced to 15 years for a triple wounding and other offences committed while on bail. His sentences will run concurrently.
Richard Hillas, 47, of Wellsford Avenue, Solihull, was sentenced to 26 months for unlawful wounding and possession of an offensive weapon. Thomas Henry, 31, of Station Road Solihull, got 22 months for unlawful wounding and possession of an offensive weapon.
Molloy’s brother David Molloy, 46, of Station Road, Balsall Common, who was convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, was ill on the day of sentencing and did not appear in court. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Detective Constable Keith Clarkson, from West Midlands Police's Complex Investigation Team, said: "This was a brutal and frightening assault in which Adrian Molloy intended to kill a man.
“While Molloy attempted to change his appearance and denied the crime, the evidence in this case clearly showed he had every intention of inflicting serious harm.
“The victim has endured a terrifying ordeal, the consequences of which will no doubt stay with him for the rest of his life. I hope that the sentences handed out to Adrian Molloy and the others involved in this vicious attack will at least provide some reassurance."
