Man jailed for life for murder of 'bubbly' young Walsall FC fan
A man has been jailed for life today for murdering a young Walsall FC fan in a fight in Blackpool.
Paul Atherton was found guilty of the murder of 22-year-old Ryan Harvey at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday and was sentenced to life in prison today, with Atherton told he will serve a minimum of 16 years behind bars.
Officers from Lancashire Police were called to Central Drive at 5.33pm on Saturday, June 25, last year to reports of people fighting.
When they arrived, they found Ryan, from Walsall, with a serious head injury. He was taken to Royal Preston Hospital for treatment but he was pronounced dead three days later.
A post mortem concluded that the cause of Ryan’s death was blunt force trauma to the head. Two days after his death, police charged two men with his murder.
Atherton was also charged with Section 18 Wounding, Section 47 Wounding, two Section 39 Assaults, and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
Another defendant Thomas Heaney, 32, of Cross Street in Fleetwood, was also initially charged with murder following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, but he admitted a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, as well as to an unrelated robbery, and the murder charge was dropped.
He was sentenced earlier in the year to 30 months for robbery and 10 months consecutively for the assault.
The court heard that while both Atherton and Heaney punched Ryan Harvey, it was clear from the CCTV and expert medical evidence that Atherton struck the fatal blow.
At 2.30pm on Tuesday, the jury at Preston Crown Court retired to consider their verdict, with their decision announced to the court on Wednesday. Atherton, aged 36 from Knowsley Crescent in Thornton, was sentenced today.
Paying tribute, Ryan's family said after his death: "A family has lost their little boy due to an incident that happened in Blackpool. Our little Ryan was a bubbly lad who would do anything for anyone.
"Ryan was a lifelong Walsall FC fan who lived and breathed football. We are absolutely heartbroken and would appreciate some privacy at this time to grieve for our loss."
A fundraiser raised more than £13,000 for Ryan's funeral, with donations from The Tap and Tanner pub in Walsall, the Registry Pub in Walsall, the Wolverhampton Tumbler Club, and Walsall FC player Ronan Maher.
