A teenager killed a dad for his Rolex watch in a horrific church attack. Jordan Short, 19, laughed and grinned after Steven McMyler, 34, was kicked to death for his accessory, reports Manchester Evening News.
Manchester Crown Court heard that the incident occurred back in 2020, when the father-of-two had gone to a jewellers in Wigan to get an updated valuation for his Rolex Submariner watch. Prosecutor Mark Ford KC says the piece had previously been valued at £11.500.
The 34-year-old then visited The Raven pub and began conversing with Lewis Peake who took an interest in the expensive watch after the father revealed its worth. The prosecutor says Peake then plotted to rob the watch and was captured on CCTV chatting to two teens who he tried in vain to recruit as part of his devious plans.
After his failed efforts to recruit the duo, Peake managed to convince Short, Michael Wilson and two teens, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to rob the father. The gang then surrounded McMyler in the grounds of Wigan Parish Church on August 6, 2020.
The prosecutor said: "During the course of the attack Mr McMyler was kicked forcefully to the head. He was rendered unconscious immediately.
"His watch was removed". The gang reacted by 'grinning and laughing', the court heard.
But with their victim unconscious on the ground, the gang then 'turned on' Peake who fled after he was struck with a bottle. Passer-bys then administered first aid but McMyler, who went into respiratory and cardiac arrest, died at the scene.
The prosecutor read out a statement on behalf of the victims mother Carole McMyler, who says the tragedy had 'broken' her family. She said: "Our hearts have been ripped from our chest and shattered into tiny pieces.
"It's a pain I wouldn't wish on anyone." She said her son's youngest daughter had said she wanted to die to be with her father while the older daughter had 'screamed like a wild animal' when she learned the fateful news.
The mother of his youngest child, Sianead Dewar, in another statement read out in court, said the crime had 'devastated' the child.
The girl, she said, had asked: "Mummy, will he be home soon?" The truth is I don't think our daughter will ever get over the loss of her dad."
The trial over the father's death occurred last year, with Short's co-defendants being found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob. They were all jailed in November 2021, however the 19-year-old missed the trial as he was considered to ill to take part.
Michelle Colborne KC, defending, said: "It's right we put on record that the defendant acknowledges entirely grief that's palpable in causing immeasurable pain that the entire family and those affected by the death of Mr McMyler will be feeling."
The barrister continued: "The defendant, albeit 21 now, is still emotionally immature and does not have the facility, the education and intelligence to be able to express himself in a manner that others more fortunate than him can. But what he does say, amongst some very inept ways of expressing himself, is that he's very sorry for what happened.
"It can't be said there's no remorse." In court, Short pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to rob.
The teen, who has previous convictions for drug dealing, also pleaded guilty to four counts of supplying class A drugs, handling stolen goods, aggravated vehicle taking and three counts of fraud. For his extensive list of crimes, Short was jailed for 13 years and six months.
The judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, told Short: "As the CCTV so graphically shows, it was a brutal and sickening attack on a vulnerable man who did absolutely nothing what-so-ever to justify what happened to him. No-one in court could have failed to be moved by the victim's personal statements read out.
"They spoke of utter devastation and excruciating on-going agony that your heartless joint actions with others caused Steven McMyler's family, ripping out from their lives the much-loved father of two daughters."
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