Men jailed for 'unprovoked violence' at Manor Farm pub, Rainhill

Joshua Kehoe, 28, and George Harper, 30, were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court for the attacks which took place in Manor Farm pub in Rainhill in the early hours of Sunday, May 30 last year.

CCTV footage was played to the court showing clips of the violence, which took place in a period of around 11 minutes.

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A wine bottle was used as a weapon during some of the attacks, the court heard.

Kehoe, of Cretan Road, Liverpool, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two counts of causing grievous bodily harm (one Section 18 with intent and one Section 20); and two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Meanwhile, Harper, of Holland Street, Liverpool, had pleaded guilty to the same offences, and also to a third count of ABH.

Prosecuting, Nick Cockrell, told the court that the Rainhill pub had held an 18th birthday party on the Saturday night (May 29) “without any issues”.

He added that "shortly after 11pm, the two defendants arrived at the pub together with a third male” who was “not responsible for any of the violence”.

Joshua Kehoe

They arrived to meet their boss, “who was providing security for Manor Farm” and were trying to persuade landlord of the pub John Lunt to “allow them to take over the door”.

But “Mr Lunt told them that he was happy with his present door staff”, Mr Cockrell added.

Kehoe then started “chatting up” a barmaid who was “polite to him but told him that she was only 17 years of age, albeit that she was due to turn 18 in the July” and she refused to give him her number.

He asked her to phone a taxi for him and she used her phone to type in the number and handed it to Kehoe, who “took the phone and put his own number into her phone. He sent himself a text message, and then told her to text him when she was 18”.

Mr Cockrell said that between 1.30am and 1.45am, John Lunt’s partner saw Mr Kehoe “looking through her handbag”, and then later the barmaid’s, who “claimed that some money had been taken”.

Mr Cockrell said "whatever the rights and wrongs were about that incident” there is “little doubt that it formed the catalyst for the unprovoked violence that was to follow”.

After a disagreement, a female staff member “was able to calm things down by telling the three males to leave”.

They left the pub, escorted by her and with some help from two men, Stephen Gledhill and another.

However, Kehoe shortly afterwards, “went back into the pub through the fire door” where Mr Lunt and Mr Gledhill were stood “at the bottom of the staircase”.

Yates and Harper “both went inside and without any provocation started to attack both”.

Mr Gledhill was “left seriously injured at the bottom of the stairwell”, suffering a dislocated shoulder.

Mr Cockrell added that another victim, Jack Anthony “was attacked by Harper inside the pub after the two defendants had assaulted Lunt and Gledhill”.

George Harper

Kehoe and Harper went back outside the pub.

Mr Cockrell said another victim, Jacob Clark-Royal pushed Kehoe and “tried to speak” to the defendants.  

However, in a “totally unprovoked attack”, Kehoe “threw one punch at (Mr) Clark-Royal which knocked him unconscious".

Kehoe “then kicked him twice to the head” and Harper “punched Mr Clark-Royal to the head”.

Yates and Harper forced their way back through into the pub and targeted Mr Lunt again and Kehoe “punched (him) to the face several times”.

Mr Cockrell said Kehoe made “demands for money” and there was “some sort of dispute” about cash.

Kehoe made “threats saying that he was going to ‘terror' the pub’”.

Manor Farm on Mill Lane, Rainhill

While Lunt went for money, one man was dragged along the room and Kehoe went behind the bar and took a bottle of wine from one of the fridges.

Harper punched one man at the bar and Kehoe then approached “and hit him to the head with the bottle”, though no charges were brought over this attack.

Kehoe then attacked another victim, Jake McSweeney-Forrester, who was on crutches, “with the bottle, hitting him to the face”.

Landlord Mr Lunt was then telling Kehoe to “leave the kids alone”.

Both defendants approached Mr Lunt and Kehoe struck him “to the side of the head with the bottle causing him to fall to the floor”.

Both defendants “started kicking Lunt and he was left unconscious”.

Mr Lunt suffered injuries including a fractured skull, nose, and cheekbone.

Mr Cockrell said that outside as they left, Kehoe threatened a man with a bottle and Harper punched him, though no charges were brought in relation to this.

Mr Cockrell described the violence of the offenders as “entirely unprovoked” and involved the “use of a highly dangerous weapon or weapon equivalent” and “vulnerable” victims.

The court heard Kehoe had three previous convictions for offences of battery in 2015, 2016 and 2018.

Judge Judith Bond sentenced Kehoe to four years in prison for the attack on Mr Lunt, half of which he will serve in custody before being released on licence. He was also given concurrent sentences of four months, and two of six months for the other offences.

Harper was given a two-year-and-eight month sentence over the attack on Mr Lunt, half of which is to be served in custody, and concurrent terms of four months, and thee of six months for other assaults.

Defending Harper, Keith Sutton said he felt “remorse” and was “of good character” and had been “a carer for his mother following the death of her partner”.

Defending Kehoe, Jonathan Duffy, said he had an “ADHD diagnosis” and that this would be “his first experience of a long custodial sentence”.