Three young men have been found guilty of murder after they intervened in a violent dispute that had nothing to do with them and fatally stabbed the 'wrong person'. In September 2021, Kane Adamson, 19, Joshua Prescott, 20 and Ben Dawber, 19 chased a man who had just punched someone else outside a pub in Tyldesley and then launched a 'ferocious' and 'unprovoked' attack on the wrong person.
The innocent victim Thomas Williamson, 30 who suffered from mental health issues was out for a walk to clear his head when the trio stabbed him to death. He tragically died at the scene after suffering multiple fatal stab wounds, one of which penetrated his heart and lung, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Adamson, Prescott and Dawber were all sentenced to life in prison at Minshull Crown Court yesterday afternoon after all three were found guilty of murder following a trial which lasted several weeks. The trial heard that earlier in the night of the tragedy, a man called David Shuttleworth had punched another man named Jake Dinning who he thought had been arguing with his girlfriend outside Lounge Bar in Tyldesley.
The three killers who were driving by the Castle Street Bar had been drinking vodka and inhaling nitrous oxide balloons and 'took the opportunity to involve themselves in the brewing trouble'. When they pulled up in a Chevrolet Kalos with false plates, Mr Shuttleworth ran away as he assumed they were 'associates' of the man he had just punched.
Prosecutor Jason Pitter KC said that the men 'instructed' a 'reluctant' Mr Dinning to get into the car, replacing him with a fourth occupant in the vehicle who was left on the street. The men drove around the centre of Tyldesley on the hunt for Mr Shuttleworth who was hiding in a nearby street.
At the same time, Thomas Williamson appeared and the driver Dawber asked 'is that him?' to which 'another one of the occupants incorrectly asserted 'yeah that's him'. Mr Pitter told the jury 'it was with these words Thomas's fate was sealed.'
The defendants got out of the car and carried out a fatal attack on Mr Williamson which was said to have been partly captured on CCTV. One resident's camera had captured an 'angry' male voice shouting 'whatever, whatever' while a 'quieter voice' appeared to be reasoning with others.
The court heard that Mr Williamson died of 'multiple stab wounds' which cut into a major vein in his neck and another to his chest that penetrated his heart and lung. The prosecutor detailed that the victim was 'someone with a long history of mental illness which included self harming' and just the day before his fatal attack he had threatened to take his own life while drinking alcohol.
After his mood had deteriorated, his mother said he had punched his wardrobe before leaving the house, possibly with a kitchen knife and a bottle of Jack Daniels. His concerned mother contacted police to search for Thomas and he was found bleeding to death in a street near his home.
Addressing the attack on Mr Williamson, Dawber, of no fixed abode, said in evidence that he was intending to ‘rob him’. “What were you deciding to do?” Mr Pitter asked. “Beat him up,” Dawber replied. He alleged that Mr Williamson had been 'swinging' a glass bottle at him before claiming he 'pulled a knife out'
Dawber said Mr Williamson was a ‘big man’ and ‘didn’t know what he was capable of’ and said he was ‘scared’. He told jurors that he disarmed Mr Williamson by punching him to the face, which made him drop the knife and stabbed him twice in the shoulder of self defence.
However jurors did not believe his lies convicted him, Adamson, of no fixed abode, and Prescott, of Walter Street in Leigh of murder. They will be sentenced at a later date, yet to be fixed.
The court also heard that Dawber and Adamson had already pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery earlier that night. The attempted robbery "was part of the wider behaviour of that group of men that night" said Mr Pitter.
Judge Maurice Greene told them: "In each of your cases there will be a sentence of detention for life. I have to decide the minimum term you will each have to serve before you are eligible for the parole board to consider your release. I will decide that on a date in the future, you will be told about that date in due course."
Nicky Moore, senior crown prosecutor with CPS North West’s Complex Casework Unit said: "Dawber, Adamson and Prescott were out that night looking for trouble. They carried out a brutal, unprovoked and senseless attack on a stranger.
"The CPS worked with GMP’s Major Incident Team to build a compelling case to place before the jury, including CCTV evidence, eyewitness testimony, mobile phone evidence and mobile phone positioning data to show the three were together before and after the murder. The jury found all three guilty of murder.
"My thoughts are very much with Thomas’s family. Nothing can bring him back, but I hope knowing Thomas’ attackers have been brought to justice will bring them some comfort at this difficult time."
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