Five years for Daniel Cooper's killer Richard Winn is 'not enough'
FRIENDS of a popular teenager killed in a street brawl have said the sentence given to his killer is "not enough".
A court heard there was a history of "bad blood" between two men which led to a tragedy when one of them killed the other after repeatedly hitting him around the head as he lay unconscious during a violent street fight.
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Locked up: Winn had a ‘history of violence’.
Richard Winn knocked 18-year-old Daniel Cooper to the ground with two powerful punches and continued hitting him while his defenceless victim was slumped unconscious on the ground.
Daniel died four days later from serious head injuries, the court was told.
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Winn, 20, of Grimsby, was locked up for five years after admitting manslaughter on July 15 last year.
Today, friends of Daniel, who lived in Rutland Street, Grimsby, said the sentence was too lenient.
Councillor Jon-Paul Howarth, a volunteer at The Shalom youth club, where Daniel spent time, said: "Five years for taking someone's life is nothing.
"It is just my personal view but I expect he will be out on good behaviour after just two-and-a-half years, which is no where near enough. If someone takes someone else's life they should expect a long time locked up. His mum has lost her son and she got a lifetime punishment because she is not going to see him growing up."
An old school friend of Daniel's at Havelock Academy, Claire Smith, 24, said: "Danny was a popular lad, well-liked and polite.
"I don't think five years is enough for what he has put Danny's family through. Danny never caused any harm to anyone and he never had a life."
In court, Anil Murray, prosecuting, told Hull Crown Court that there had been problems between Mr Cooper and Winn. They decided they would have a "one-on-one" fight in Castle Street, Grimsby, near Winn's home. Daniel was "jumping around and agitated as if he was looking for a fight". Both men threw punches and Winn smashed Daniel in the face, causing a cracking noise.
He fell to the ground but got up again. Winn swung another punch, which missed, and the fight continued. Winn knocked Daniel to the ground with another powerful punch, leaving him apparently unconscious, with his eyes rolling and legs twitching.
Winn was seen repeatedly punching Daniel – who was not moving – in the face and head.
Winn, who was 19 at the time, stopped only when one of Daniel's friends, Lewis Durkin, hit him on the head with a bicycle lock.
The victim was helped back to his home and was aided by his cousin, Charlotte Hatfield. He was taken to hospital and transferred to Hull Royal Infirmary, where he died on July 19 last year from complications caused by head injuries.
Judge Jeremy Richardson QC told Winn: "By your unlawful violence, a young man has died. I appreciate you did not intend to kill or even cause him really serious harm. You would have continued had you not been stopped."
There had been "bad blood" between the two men and Winn had been "frenzied up", said Judge Richardson.
Winn had a "history of violence". An assault conviction in 2010 involved shooting someone with an air rifle.
"This case should serve as an example of the appalling consequences which may arise when a fight takes place," said Judge Richardson.
Andrew Bailey, mitigating, said: "This is a tragic case. A young man's life has been lost. He is struggling still to come to terms genuinely with what happened and what he has done.
"It's a fact that young, immature teenage men do get involved in fighting each other. They never envisaged that these might be the consequences.
"The consequences here were unforeseen and unintended. The two young men were willing participants in a fight."
The court heard that Winn originally denied manslaughter but changed his plea to guilty.
Members of Daniel's family, including his mother, Sue Gott, were in court for the hearing but declined to comment.
Comments
by Aye_caramba
Saturday, October 13 2012, 5:11PM
“me_over_here said it already, read his post.
If that's the way you live, you're gonna have to expect big problems.
What goes round comes round was never so accurate.
http://tinyurl.com/3dfh86r”
by GyOutskirts
Friday, October 12 2012, 11:49PM
“Judge Jeremy Richardson QC told Winn: "By your unlawful violence, a young man has died. I appreciate you did not intend to kill or even cause him really serious harm. You would have continued had you not been stopped."
Obviously he didn't intend to cause him any serious harm, to keep hitting him whilst he was unconsious wasn't likely to cause serious harm was it?! ... At the point someone is unconsious surely its time to call it quits, you won your fight, you don't carry on when they can't fight back!! I agree he might not have originally set out to kill him, but i think Manslaughter turned into Murder the minute the poor guy was unconsious, couldn't defend himself, and was getting brutally attacked!
2 years and he will be out and about bragging about it no doubt.”
by me_over_here
Friday, October 12 2012, 3:32PM
“it can not be judged as murder because they both agreed to a fight,both parties were bullies & reading fb comments from the lad that died hes friends are all the same . they are all well known in the town for picking on people in gangs (cowards ) although he did not deserve to die who would have thought it would have ended in a death ! and what was the lads so called friends doing whilst he was still being beaten whilst unconscious .”
by markus250666
Friday, October 12 2012, 1:55PM
“Judges go by a Guideline on what limit they can hand down on sentences but i just see it a book for mickey mouse judges. 5 years isn't long enough even for manslaughter. british justice needs to be changed.The thing that annoys me the most is if a police officer is attacked or even killed the offender gets the harshest sentence going but yet when its a normal member of the public the offender gets the lightest sentence. now my question is whats the difference between the two?? they are both human lifes. the law certainly needs to be changed. or the incompetant judges need to be replaced with propper judges with propper morals of passing propper sentences.”
by delboy1900
Friday, October 12 2012, 1:48PM
“Justice diluted... Feral species dubbed as humans controlling the streets... Civility ebbing away... I would only ever bring children into this world if I was in a financial position to raise them outside the realms of mainstream UK society! Sad view I know but it's a view effected by species such as these... I ask to those who sit in there positions of authority, dishing out these sentences which lack any element of justice... those who make policy, acting in their positions of serving the public - Where are you going to be when this scumbag walks out of prison? Where will you be when he's attacking his next victim? Where will you be when the lack of deterrence in this sentence you give, sends out the message to his fellow feral subhuman that taking someone's life will only inconvenience you for approximately three years!!?
I despair!!”
by MrIncredulous
Friday, October 12 2012, 1:37PM
“Oldkoppite stated "The CPS must refer this case to the Attorney General because of the unduly lenient sentence and get it increased otherwise this cretin will soon be back on the streets"
err am i missing something here? I presume that the CPS were the ones who decided that he should be charged with Manslaughter not Murder so they will hardly complain about a "lenient" sentence.
The question should really be why he wasn't charged with murder?”
by scarlet2476
Friday, October 12 2012, 1:23PM
“Winn has a history of violence and that gullible mug of a judge thinks that killing someone isn't enough to give him a proper jail term?? If upon his release he hurts somebody else, the idiot that didnt put him away for long enough should serve the next sentence he gets along side him. The man he fought with was probably no angel and the boot could have easily be on the other but under no circumstances should killing someone be marked down as though it's not that big a deal. It is, the lad's dead and his family are paying the price. The judge need sacking and the victims family need to appeal to the CPS to get Winn's sentence extended, disgraceful! Judge Jeremy Richardson, you are an idiot!!!”
by THEAPPLE
Friday, October 12 2012, 12:15PM
“cant post ,with comment , to F/B as Brad Pitt gets in the way”
by THEAPPLE
Friday, October 12 2012, 12:13PM
“HOW can any inteligent person read or hear of the this attack and then claim that he DIDNT mean to kill or cause serious harm,at which point in the fight did he pull back from the onslaught,I must have missed that bit ,and also as stated it was a one to one and the "now" victim was up for the fight and could have quite easily reverse the out come.the judge should be made to explain HOW he came to this on the evidence before him”
by DorothyA1952
Friday, October 12 2012, 11:58AM
“I am in Canada reading this and this is crazy a slap on the hand for killing someone is nuts the judge need to wakeup.
One does not carry on hitting someone when they are out cold on the ground only a coward would do that. 5 years and out in under 3 is nothing what message is that sending to others, its ok to go out and beat someone to death as you will only get and slap on the hand.
IT MAKES ME SICK WHEN I HEAR THINGS LIKE THIS.”