The mother of a man who was killed in a gang robbery said her son was “in the summer of his life” and was hoping to become a father.
Thomas Edmunds, 36, died in hospital after three men and a teenager, all of whom he knew, attacked him and stole his money for drugs and alcohol.
During the assault, Mr Edmunds, from Liverpool, was put in a fatal chokehold by Thomas Broadhurst, a man he had known for 20 years, while Kevin Condliffe, Terence Bennett and Kevin Nethercote took his money.
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In a moving statement in court last Friday, Mr Edmunds’ mother Sheila described how her son’s death had come when he was finding his footing in life and as he hoped to become a father, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Mrs Edmunds said: “Tom was in the summer of his life. He had a new focus and was making a career within the building trade.
“He was happy with his life at this point, for the first time in a long time he had something to aim for, something in which he could have achieved and been successful.”
She said the 36 year old loved spending time with his nieces and nephews and, like other family members, wanted kids of his own.
Mrs Edmunds said: “Tom was still a young man with the rest of his life to live.
“He had not had children, which he wanted. He was a fabulous uncle, loved children and would have been a brilliant father.
“That gift has been taken from him and from us. He had so much to live for.”
The court also heard the impact Mr Edmund’s death had on the wider family, some of whom Mrs Edmunds said would never recover.
Mr Edmunds was found face down and unconscious by his own father, with whom he lived.
Mrs Edmunds said her son’s death in hospital hours later had meant it was now difficult for the family to even find comfort in happy memories of his life.
She said: “This should not have happened. Our lasting memory should be of all the good times. However, on closing our eyes we see our poor Tommy lying in hospital with all those machines and tubes surrounding him.
“Our Tommy should still be here, if it was not for the actions of others. They could not imagine how much pain and damage they have caused our family. It breaks our hearts that we will never see his smiling face again.”
Broadhurst, 32 of Regal Road, Croxteth, was sentenced to 10 years, eight months after admitting manslaughter and conspiracy to rob.
Bennett, 34, of Sovereign Hey, Croxteth, and Nethercote, 48, of Regal Road, Croxteth, were sentenced to eight years and nine years four months respectively after admitting conspiracy to rob.
Condliffe, of Carr Lane East, Croxteth, was sentenced to five years.
