'Cowards who showed no remorse' for murder of family man in West Bromwich jailed for more than 45 years

Mr Adams, who lived on the Yew Tree estate on the Sandwell-Walsall border, was hurt when violence broke out inside and outside The Gough Arms, in Jowetts Lane, Stone Cross, West Bromwich, in the early hours of March 19, 2023. 

The father of two, known as 'Wacka', died four days later from an infection of the lungs and excessive codeine which was taken at home to help recover from his injuries. He had been at a family disco at the busy public house with his partner Amy Pole when she was called rude names by a group of people who attacked him when he came to her defence.

Mark Shorthouse, Ryan Stanley and John Wise, as well as a 17-year-old who cannot be named due to being under 18, were convicted of Mr Adams's murder and were sentenced today. Nichola Stanley was also convicted of violent disorder.

In a victim impact statement which was read aloud at Wolverhampton Crown Court Mr Adams's sister Natalie Adams described the perpetrators as "cowards who carried out the attack showing little of no remorse, which I find disgusting".

She said her brother was the youngest of three siblings, was "loved and adored by everyone" for his cheeky personality and made the family laugh. She said he was "gentle and kind" with a "heart of gold" and did not have a "bad bone in his body".

She said he would greet them with "big smiles and a massive hug" and that he had been "cruelly taken" from them.

"On March 23, 2023 our lives changed forever. Our hearts were shattered a into a million pieces," Miss Adams added.

Sentencing the five defendants on Monday (February 23) Judge Michael Chambers KC said: "I find all five defendants were the aggressors towards Matthew Adams and Amy Pole. Those involved were being using abusive language, were staring at her and closed in on her. This is what prompted the action of the deceased who lunged forward. This is not a case of self-defence, but a case of punishment being given by assaulting them either directly or by encouraging others to do so.

"This was effectively an act of retribution. It started in the pub and continued outside. Mark Shorthouse was involved in unlawful violence throughout. Nichola Stanley immediately struck the deceased a number of times, when Amy Pole sought to rescue Mr Adams, Nichola Stanley sought to pull her off to enable Ryan Stanley to continue the attack."

He said the actions of Mark Shorthouse incited the victim to swing his head towards John Wise. He said during the melee Ryan Stanley held on to Mr Adams so that Wise could repeatedly punch him on the head. He was also kicked and stomped upon during the incident.

"It was obvious that Mr Adams was manhandled. He wasn't a threat," the judge said. He told the court that it was accepted by the prosecution that the victim bit Wise.

The judge said that in his judgement, the fact the victim decided to go home and sleep off his discomfort instead of going to hospital was down to his perception that he was due to start a new job on the Monday morning after the disorder and this was "a decision he was entitled to take".  

All the defendants were convicted for their roles following a trial held in November last year. 

Mitigating on behalf of Shorthouse, who had 44 previous convictions for 55 offences up to 2012, Mr Amjad Malik KC asked the court to take in account that the defendant suffered from schizoaffective disorder and had since been transferred to the Reaside mental health clinic for treatment, but the judge replied that doctors said Shorthouse was not experiencing illness at the time of the murder.

For murder Shorthouse, aged 54, of Church Vale, West Bromwich; Ryan Stanley, aged 31, of Peel Street, West Bromwich; and Wise, aged 43, from Sandwell, were each sentenced to minimum life terms of 13 years and 234 days to take account of the time already spent in custody on prison remand. The 17-year-old was sentenced to five years and 234 days in youth detention for murder. There was no separate penalty given to these defendants for the offence of violent disorder. 

For violent disorder Nichola Stanley, aged 40, also of Sandwell, was jailed for 20 months.

Det Insp Joe Davenport, of West Midlands Police's Homicide Unit said: “Wise, Shorthouse, Stanley and the teenager subjected Matthew to a brutal attack where he was punched, kicked and dragged on the floor. Matthew was left helpless.

“The violence and their desire to keep attacking despite Matthew’s clear injuries was vicious.

“Nichola Stanley repeatedly hit Matthew and others in the pub, adding to the out-of-control disorder.

“This was a complex investigation which relied heavily on linking the attack to Matthew’s death.

“Our thoughts remain with Matthew’s family, and we thank them for their support through the investigation and the court process.”