Man 'went off his head' and killed own granddad after watching Everton lose to Man City together

An Everton protagonist who was "off his head" battered his grandad to decease aft watching the football together.

Ryan Cullen launched a savage onslaught connected his 73-year-old gramps Brian Cullen aft watching the Toffees' 2-0 distant decision to Manchester City connected television. The pensioner died 2 weeks aboriginal arsenic a effect of injuries sustained erstwhile helium was subjected to a brutal battle successful his ain bed.

It came aft the slayer became afflicted by intelligence wellness issues and cause usage pursuing the breakdown of his marriage. On Friday, Liverpool Crown Court heard however Ryan Cullen attacked his unfortunate astatine his location successful Midghall Street successful the metropolis centre connected February 10.

Brian Cullen aboriginal spent six days successful infirmary earlier being discharged and "did not privation to marque a ailment astir his grandson" to the police, the Echo reports. David McLachlan KC, prosecuting, elaborate however the pensioner was subsequently readmitted arsenic an inpatient erstwhile his wellness deteriorated and helium ne'er came backmost out, dying connected February 24.

A post-mortem probe aboriginal revealed a origin of decease of "blunt thorax trauma with sepsis". The tribunal was told that the defendant, of nary fixed address, became divorced from his woman astir 5 years antecedently and since "had important issues" with cocaine. His nan, Anne Cullen, doubly paid for him to participate rehab, nevertheless "on each juncture helium relapsed and went backmost to drugs".

She described however "using cocaine would alteration her grandson arsenic a person". The 35-year-old had stayed overnight astatine his grandparents' code connected the evening earlier the assault, with "the temper successful the location being good" astatine this time.

Mrs Cullen past near the spot astatine astir 2.30pm connected February, returning conscionable shy of 3 hours aboriginal to find that Mr Cullen had sustained injuries to his chest, look and the backmost of his head. He told her that helium had suffered a fall, but "looked towards his grandson truthful arsenic to bespeak it was successful information him who had caused the injuries".

On inspection, determination was harm to her husband's mobile, a instrumentality successful the kitchen, TV aerial and thermostat. Brian Cullen's girl arrived astatine the spot to find her dada slumped implicit the furniture with a ample magnitude of humor connected the headboard.

Mr McLachlan added: "Brian Cullen was moved from the furniture to a seat successful the surviving country arsenic they waited for the ambulance to arrive. The country was 1 of implicit and utter chaos arsenic household members were successful hysterics and screaming. When Brian Cullen was connected the chair, helium was groaning successful pain. Mandy Cullen lifted up his garment and looked for different injuries. She saw that immoderate of his ribs were sticking out."

Mr Cullen, who declined to beryllium supply a connection to the constabulary oregon beryllium seen by paramedics, told officers who attended the incidental that helium had been struck to the broadside of the caput by his grandson and said: "He's been taking that f***ing stuff. Hasn’t he?"

He stated that Cullen had been "acting weird each day" and "pacing up and down the hallway". At 1 stage, helium was said to person entered the chamber and punched him doubly to the look without warning.

Mr Cullen sustained six breached ribs and a collapsed near lung. His attacker was arrested connected suspicion of battle occasioning existent bodily harm and transgression harm astatine the aforesaid infirmary soon aft 9am connected February 11 portion waiting to beryllium seen by the intelligence wellness team. PCs visited Mr Cullen successful his infirmary furniture aboriginal the aforesaid time and recovered him with "clear facial injuries". After being informed of Cullen's arrest, the grandad said: "He is mental. He takes that stuff, that achromatic pulverization stuff. He went disconnected his head.

"We had the lucifer on. He’s an Everton supporter. He wasn’t funny successful the lucifer and was messing with his phone. I went successful the room. He was disconnected his caput connected that worldly helium takes. He banged maine caput connected the headboard and deed maine successful the face."

Cullen, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, was meantime been admitted to Hollins Park Hospital and told a caregiver connected February 13 that "his grandad wouldn't springiness him wealth for drugs" and that helium "gave him a fewer punches to the ribs and his head". He added that "he thought that helium had chopped his caput open" and that helium "kept punching him".

Mr Cullen was discharged 3 days later, but returned the pursuing time erstwhile a CT scan recovered helium had suffered a bleed connected the encephalon and suspected sepsis. His information deteriorated, and helium was pronounced dormant successful infirmary astatine 1.35am connected February 24. This led to his grandson being detained precocious that time connected suspicion of murder. He responded by asking the constabulary officers "is it my grandad?" and past became upset.

Under interview, the slayer said helium had "just mislaid it, benignant of similar a divided second". Cullen added that "he had been connected a spot of a bender and that his grandad had knocked connected saying that Everton were kicking off".

He recalled that helium past took a container of cocaine out, astatine which his grandad reportedly said helium would telephone the police. The complainant allegedly "went for him" aft helium responded by taking his telephone from him, astatine which clip helium "retaliated and punched him and helium fell down".

Pathologist Dr Matt Lyall said if Brian Cullen was younger, the injuries would person required greater force, but due to the fact that of his property his bones would beryllium much delicate. Cullen has erstwhile convictions dating backmost to 2019, including an offence of harassment successful 2020 and subsequently being jailed for 26 weeks for assaulting an exigency services worker.

Martin Reid KC, defending, said connected his behalf: "Ryan Cullen has demonstrated genuine and continuing remorse for what helium has done adjacent from the day of his arrest, fixed his ain words and behaviour. We taxable that his contrition was contiguous and genuine. It is simply a notable diagnostic of this lawsuit that some of his grandparents were precise protective of him, raising him and making large efforts to assistance him successful the difficulties helium has faced successful caller years.

"Mr Cullen recognises successful his missive to your honour the effect that substance maltreatment has had connected him and his behaviour, and helium is motivated to code it. We judge that his erstwhile convictions are an aggravating feature. Their timing is accordant with a deterioration successful his intelligence wellness pursuing the interruption up of his marriage."

Cullen admitted manslaughter, with a number of further execution having antecedently been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. Appearing handcuffed successful the dock for portion of the proceeding and wearing a achromatic Adidas t-shirt nether a achromatic zip-up top, helium was handed a five-year conception 45a hybrid bid this afternoon. This volition spot him treated successful a psychiatric hospital, having been detained successful Rowan View Hospital for the past 9 months, earlier helium is deemed suitable to beryllium moved to a prison. Cullen volition past service the remainder of his condemnation down bars, becoming eligible for merchandise connected licence aft serving fractional of the term.

Sentencing, Judge Brian Cummings KC said: "You person erstwhile convictions for violence. It is existent that nary of them approaches the seriousness of the contiguous offence. Nonetheless, this is by nary means the archetypal clip you person assaulted someone. Your unfortunate was peculiarly susceptible by crushed of property and infirmity. He was a small, somewhat built, aged antheral who was not successful the champion of health. You, by contrast, are overmuch younger. You are a overmuch taller, stronger and much robust individual.

"I judge wholly that the onslaught was not premeditated. I judge that you person shown and proceed to experience, and volition ever experience, genuine remorse for sidesplitting your grandfather. I judge that you person made genuine efforts to question assistance to flooded your addiction. Although your intelligence wellness is an important taxable for the tribunal to instrumentality into account, it is not suggested that that provides you with immoderate mitigation for the existent committee of the offence successful this case.

"By your ain admittance and contempt knowing the consequences cocaine had connected you, you continued taking it. Ultimately, that is your responsibility. I bash recognize that determination is simply a background. I person not mislaid show of your ain experiences successful childhood. Ultimately, you committed this offence nether the power of drugs. You are the idiosyncratic who chose to instrumentality the drugs."