Three members of the same family kicked and beat a man outside the pub one of them ran.
Gordon, Sharon and Johnathon Woodward all assaulted David Murray outside the Boilermaker’s Arms after a scuffle in December last year. Mr Murray, who was barred from the pub, tried to get inside and after throwing him out all three of the Woodwards then became embroiled in a fight with him and other drinkers.
All three said they were originally trying to defend themselves from aggressive behaviour from Mr Murray as they threw him out the pub before assaulting Mr Murray unnecessarily.
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Emily Comer, prosecuting, told Liverpool Magistrates’ Court this afternoon that Mr Murray went in to the pub on the night of December 3 last year. She said the Woodwards tried to tell him he would not be served before ushering him out. However, he then became aggressive and there was a struggle as he was forced outside.
CCTV of the incident then shows Gordon Woodward, 63, and the landlord of the pub, hitting Mr Murray before Sharon, 53, and Johnathon, 27, also do so. Ms Comer said that none of the three led the assault, which appeared to last a number of minutes and saw Mr Murray be punched and kicked.
The assault was punctuated by periods where the Woodwards, particularly Sharon, appear to be trying to talk to Mr Murray before violence flares up again. At one point, Johnathon Woodward can be seen hitting Mr Murray with an item that was later confirmed to be a karaoke microphone.
Ms Comer said Mr Murray was left with a broken nose after the attack and the Woodwards were later arrested. They all admitted their roles in the assault and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. John Keane, defending Gordon and Sharon Woodward, said that on the night of the incident the family were grieving the death of Gordon Woodward’s dad and said tensions ran high when Mr Murray became aggressive as he left the pub.
He said Sharon Woodward had no previous convictions, while Gordon Woodward’s last was in 1981 and did not see him go to jail. Mr Keane said Gordon Woodward had run the Boilermaker’s Arms responsibly for years while Sharon Woodward worked at a local primary school throughout the pandemic.
Danielle Gibbons, defending Johnathon Woodward, said he deeply regretted his actions and pointed to a section of the CCTV which showed him on the phone to police as evidence he was trying to bring a halt to the situation. She said: “You will notice Johnathon Woodward was on his phone. He was the person who called the police. He took himself away from the main melee in that regard.”
Ms Gibbons also read out a reference from a work colleague of Johnathon Woodward who expressed shock at the assault and described him as a friendly, honest and trustworthy.
Gordon Woodward, of Hoghton Road, Sharon Woodward, of Station Road, and Johnathon Woodward, of Weymouth Avenue, were each sentenced to 24 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months. They must also pay compensation to Mr Murray, prosecution costs and complete unpaid work.
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