Man barred from pub is locked up for killing landlord
A LANDLORD was killed by a man barred from a pub for ‘pulling a moonie.’
Colin Moore, 57, suffered a fatal heart attack after he was elbowed by Craig Birtwistle, 38, in the beer garden of the Bradford Arms in Farnworth, Bolton, in October last year.
Mr Moore agreed to have peace talks with Birtwistle, who had been barred several times for violence or lewd behaviour – but the pair ended up in a fight.
The landlord died of a heart attack caused by the assault. After a jury convicted Birtwistle of manslaughter, Mr Moore’s family paid tribute to him.
In a statement, his loved ones said: “Colin was much loved by all his family and friends and had much life ahead of him. He was taken from us in October last year in completely unnecessary circumstances.
“We cannot express how devastated we are that his life has been stolen from him. Colin is missed every minute of every day.”
Birtwistle, 57, of Crescent Avenue, Bury, had denied manslaughter, claiming he acted in self-defence, but he was convicted by a jury at Manchester Crown Court. He was jailed for seven years.
Police were called to the pub shortly before 6.30pm on Tuesday, October 24, to reports of an assault at the bar, on Buckley Lane in Farnworth.
The trial heard Birtwistle had been barred several times, on the last occasion for ‘pulling a moonie’ in front of Mr Moore’s partner, Susan Kendrick, the licensee.
He dropped his trousers in front of Ms Kendrick while she was chatting to her daughter on FaceTime.
He had previously posted a picture of Ms Kendrick on Facebook with her friend in the pub and wrote: ‘Just been turned down for a threesome with the landlady.’
Birtwistle was barred but Mr Moore, the bar manager, agreed to speak to him.
The pair went to the beer garden and the pub manager Adam Whitworth, who was in the toilets, heard Mr Moore say something like ‘you take the first punch,’ the trial heard.
After hearing a loud bang, Mr Whitworth ran out and saw Birtwistle standing over Mr Moore with both fists clenched.
Birtwistle picked up a piece of wood and threw it at Mr Moore but it missed. Mr Moore was said to have asked Birtwistle to leave because he ‘had had enough.’
As Birtwistle walked out, followed by Mr Moore, he said ‘come on then, let’s go one-on-one,’ the trial heard.
“Shut it, you’re pathetic and a nonce,” Mr Moore is said to have replied, prompting Birtwistle to swing his elbow into the landlord’s face.
Police and paramedics were called but Mr Moore died at the scene despite 25 minutes of CPR.
A post mortem found Mr Moore was suffering from severe heart disease, which put him at risk of sudden death due to a heart attack.