Three men and boy found guilty of murdering Walsall father Matthew Adams after ten week trial
Three Sandwell men and a boy have been found guilty of the murder of Matthew Adams after a ten week trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
There were screams of anguish and abusive shouting from the dock and the public gallery as the jury foreman read out the guilty verdicts at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
Justice Michael Chambers KC had to order the public gallery to be cleared before order could be restored so the rest of the verdicts could be delivered.
Mark Shorthouse, from West Bromwich, 55, was found guilty of murder. He had previously pleaded guilty to violent disorder.
Ryan Stanley, aged 30 and John Wise, aged 44, from West Bromwich, were found guilty of murder and violent disorder.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also found guilty of murder and violent disorder. When his verdicts were delivered there were screams of derision from his family as they realised he will spend decades languishing in a jail cell.
After the usher and security guards had restored order in the court room Nicola Stanley, 40, from West Bromwich, was found guilty of violent disorder.
Father of two Matthew Adams, from the Yew Tree, estate was savagely beaten by the male defendants in the early hours of Sunday, March 2023 outside The Gough Arms in West Bromwich. He died four days later after ignoring his family and doctor's advice to go to hospital.
During the trial the jury watched CCTV footage of the attack on Matthew Adams by the male defendants. He was kicked, punched and stamped on before Whitehouse caught him flush with a blindside haymaker which knocked him out.
The 33-year-old went home and become increasingly ill and was found unresponsive at home on Thursday, March 21, 2023. He died in hospital later that night.
Justice Michael Chambers KC told the adult defendants: "You will be sentenced in January after pre-sentence reports have been completed. Those of you guilty of murder will be sentenced to the minimum term of life imprisonment and Nicola Stanley your offence also will result in a custodial sentence."
John Wise shouted from the dock he wanted to make a statement before being sent down as 'there were things that did not come up in the trial' but Justice Chambers KC ordered him to be silent.
They were all remanded in custody before their sentencing hearing on January 30.
The boy was remanded in a secure youth unit until his sentencing, also in January.