Garry Newlove with his wife Helen and daughters, from left, Amy, 13, Zoe, 18, and 16-year-old Danielle
12 February 2008
The grief-stricken widow of Garry Newlove last night said the teenagers who killed her husband should be executed and that she would be the one to do it.
Helen, 45, who believes in capital punishment, said she "wouldn't hesitate" if given the chance to deliver a lethal injection or press the button on a electric chair.
She also said she was determined to stop the liberal justice system releasing the trio that kicked her husband to death as they would kill again.
A judge yesterday attacked the culture of under-age drinking, cheap alcohol and aggression as he sentenced three teenage thugs to life imprisonment for killing Mr Newlove, 47, in front of his family.
The father was brutally punched and kicked by Adam Swellings, 19, Stephen Sorton, 17, and Jordan Cunliffe, 16, after they had each drunk up to nine pints of extra-strength beer.
The gang was also high on skunk cannabis when they attacked the father-of-three when he remonstrated with them for vandalising his wife's car
Mrs Newlove has now hit out as she struggles to come to terms with her loss. She said: "They should throw away the key so these animals are locked away for the rest of their lives.
"They handed my family a life sentence the day they attacked Garry.
"And I'm determined they will never be allowed to taste freedom. They forfeited their rights to society when they kicked him to death.
"Make no mistake, if the liberals running our justice system ever let these three out, they will kill again. They are ticking timebombs.
"They beat a dad to death without giving it so much as a second thought and all they can do now is sit back and snigger about it.
"I watched them as they walked into court and I didn't see a flicker of emotion or remorse from them."
She added: "If I could push the button on an electric chair, if I could deliver a lethal injection, I wouldn't hesitate."
Mr Justice Andrew Smith told the trio: "The violence against Garry Newlove did not come out of the blue. For you all, drunken aggression was part of a night's entertainment.
"You were three of a gang who attacked him because he had the courage to remonstrate with you.
"He did nothing to excuse or provoke in any way what you did to him. He was a courageous and devoted family man who paid with his life.
"You felt brave only because your gang outnumbered him many times over and your bravado was fuelled by skunk cannabis and cheap drink.
"Even the youngest of the gang had no difficulty getting hold of cheap alcohol."
At Chester Crown Court, the judge ordered that Swellings serve at least 17 years and Sorton a minimum of 15 years.
Cunliffe will serve at least 12 years before being considered for parole.
As the sentences were delivered, Mr Newlove's widow Helen, 45, broke down and sobbed in the arms of relatives.
She had cradled her husband in her arms after the gang ran off from the family's home in Warrington, Cheshire. He died two days later.
Mr Newlove's horrified daughters Amy, 12, Danielle, 15, and Zoe, 18, had tried to intervene as the yobs knocked him to the ground.
But the thugs just laughed, urging each other on as they repeatedly punched and kicked his head "like a football".
Last night, in an interview with the BBC, Zoe said: "They just acted as a pack - it was horrible.
"I think if some of them hadn't drank as much, they would've stepped back and thought, 'Hang on a minute, what are we doing?'
"But Swellings, he's just evil. I reckon even without a drink, he would've done something stupid like that."
The yob, aged 18 at the time, had been released on bail for an earlier assault just hours before the murder of salesman Mr Newlove last August.
Zoe added: "He shouldn't have been given bail. People like him should never be given bail because they could go out and do exactly what he did to my dad."
The judge also recommended that sickening video clips of violence found on the mobile phones of Swellings and Sorton be viewed by the parole board before they are considered for release.
He paid tribute to Mr Newlove's daughters, telling the gang: "Everyone in court could understand why Garry Newlove was so proud of his family.
"Perhaps that offers some crumb of comfort to Helen Newlove to know that - but that was a family that you destroyed."
In a victim impact statement, Mrs Newlove, a legal secretary, told how she had contemplated suicide and was taking anti-depressants to help her cope.
"It is nearly five months since Garry died," she said.
"Most days, I struggle to get out of bed but I have to because I have to put on a brave face for our daughters.
"My family are constantly worried about me and don't like to leave me alone in case I commit suicide. I have contemplated this but I wouldn't because of the girls.
"Garry was a wonderful and caring husband and a father who doted on his family.
"It is so cruel that he ended up dying for his family because he was trying to protect us.
"Garry was the life and soul of the party and since he's gone, some of our sparkle has gone with him. We loved him so much and will always miss him."
Outside court, Detective Inspector Geoff Elvey, who led the investigation for Cheshire Police, called for a new law to ban under-18s from being in possession of alcohol.
He added that parents needed to take more responsibility for their children's actions.
"We all have a role as parents in the community to engage with our children and educate them about this type of conduct," he said.
The jury had been told that the area around the Newlove home was plagued by gangs of drunken and violent youths in the months before the murder.
Residents had pleaded with police to stop the anti-social behaviour - but little was done. When one neighbour dialled 999, he was told his call was 15th in line to be answered.
By August 10 last year, Mr Newlove - who survived aggressive stomach cancer 13 years earlier - had had enough.
When Amy said she had seen a group of youths kicking her mother's car, he went outside in his bare feet to remonstrate with them.
Swellings, from Crewe and nicknamed Swellhead, had at least 11 previous convictions.
He threw the first punch before Mr Newlove was knocked to the ground and beaten.
Sorton, from Warrington and nicknamed Snowy, had one previous conviction for assault.
He kicked Mr Newlove so fiercely that his training shoe was later found underneath the victim.
Along with Cunliffe, of Warrington, who was then only 15, they were convicted of murder last month at Chester Crown Court.
Two other teenagers were cleared in the five-week trial.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-513652/Id-like-execute-thugs-kicked-husband-death-says-grief-stricken-widow-Garry-Newlove.html#ixzz0iQ9mnqBo
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