Sentencing and Reflections on Knife Crime

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Create your own AI agent in minutes on Monday. comot ACAS powers the world's best podcasts Here's the show that we recommend Go touch grass. You have probably heard this phrase, Mbe you have even said it, but beneath the sort of lighthearted nature of this meme is something very real and important growing sense that staying in touch with our humanity and being present in our bodies matters more than ever in today's digital world. My name is Manushh Zamaroti and I am taking over as host of TEed Talks Daily this week to explore what technology is actually doing to your body and mind In special interviews with scientists, doctors, parents, artists, and more, we're going to dig into your physical and mental health on tech how we think about our bodies differently now, how we relate to new innovations that are amazing, but also a little scary, and how we can live a healthier life in this high tech era Tune in on Ted Talks Daily wherever you listen to podcasts ACast helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcasts everywhere Acast. com On a summer afternoon in august twenty nineteen A landlord stood outside his pub in witness confronting a customer he'd recently barred It was the sort of situation he'd dealt with countless times before during more than two decades behind the bar raaised voices, a disagreement, someone refusing to accept a decision It was all in a day's work this wasn't an ordinary disagreement Within days, it would leave a family devastated and an entire town asking how something so routine could end in such tragedy The man at the centre of it all was a popular landlord, a devoted family man, a community champion, and one of the best known facers in Witness In this episode of British Murders withith Stuart Blues, we're looking at the murder of Christian Thornton It's a case involving threats, warnings and a dispute that had been building for days before finally coming to a head outside a local pub with devastating consequences Quick one before we dive in, please make sure you're following the podcast on your player of choice. It's a small action, but it has a big impact on how Father S travels. It is free as well. Ratings and reviews are also appreciated, thanks if you've left one And if you want to go a step further, you can listen to the show add free, get episodes a day early and unlock exclusive content by joining my community at patreon. com forward slash British murders. This episode focuses on the story of forty nine year old Christian Thornton, who is more commonly known to pretty much everyone by the shortened version of his name Chris He was the sort of guy who seemed to know everyone in the local area. primarily due to his line of work as a pub landlord Born and raised in the Rriverside town of Wyneness in the Northwest England countounty of Cheshire Chris attended Stt Joseph's High schoolchool as a kid and grew up alongside his three sisters and brother family was always important to him from a young age, and that never changed as he got older By the time this tragic story unfolded Chris was a devoted husband, a father of three young children, and one of the most recognizable faces in his local community His wife, Palm had known him for almost half of her life, with the pair being in a relationship for twenty four years after first meeting at the very pub, Chris would eventually go on to run Within a year of getting together, the couple had bought a house and become engaged A year after that, they married in the Lake district. place they both loved and escaped to whenever life allowed them to have some much needed time off Pam would later describe the day they tied the knot as one of the happiest of her life Chris and therefore Pam There was always one dream He wanted to run his own pub Not necessarily because he fananscy he'd pull in pints for a living But because pubs have always been about more than beer in towns like Wyneness, They're meeting places Community hubs where people celebrate the birth of a child, a wedding Promotions and sporting successes Hubs are places people gather to reflect after funerals put the world to rights, and where lifelong friendships are made and maintained Together, Chris and Pam turn that dream into a reality For almost two decades, Chris worked at the Hammer and Pincers public House located on Liverpool Road in his native witness. He worked his whale starting behind the bar before eventually becoming landlord himself. In june twenty twenty two, a few years after this story, the pub was renamed the Woodlands But to many locals, it will always be the haammer and Pincers And if you were regular there The chances are that Chris not only knew your face, name and background But he likely already had your drink waiting before he'd even reach the bar That's the sort of landlord he was attentive, welcoming, and friendly beyond comparison. Because running a pub it's not just a standard nine to five style job you clock in and out of every day For many landlords, Chris included is a way of life. Chris knew his customers and their families He knew who was celebrating what, who was struggling, and who might need a quiet word or a bit of support The stories people told after his death painted a remarkably consistent picture that of a lovely man who was not only funny Kind and always smiling He went above and beyond to help others, showcasing a truly selfless nature He was the sort of person who'd do you a solid without expecting anything in return, rather than to carry favour or be owe something His nickname was Tiga. appears to be two origin stories for it. One is partly because he was forever bouncing around with seemingly endless energy O is because more than a few people thought he looked a bit like the cartoon character from the Winn of the Pooh franchise Having seen a fair few photos of Chris during my research, I can certainly see the resemblance Then there were his clothes, which were a persistent running joke among the patrons of the hammer and pincers. Chrisa developed something of a reputation for wearing loud, colourful, and sometimes downright dreadful t shirts touching tribute after his death Pam would later say We will all miss your shit shirts, your infectious personality, and your kindness He was clearly one of those larger than life characters who lights up a room simply by walking into it with his energy and positive outlook. But for all the laughs and all the jokes, family remained at the center of everything Eespecially his three young children who meant the absolute world to him He would get emotional watching his daughters dance, and Pam said he was the ultimate rugby dad when it came to supporting his son ome rein or shine whenever there was a match to attend Chris was there, cheering him on from the sidelines Away from familyily life and the pub, Chris continued to throw himself into helping others. Over the years, he organized countless fundraising events and charity nights, helping to raise thousands of pounds for many good causes He championed local musicians, supported community projects, and gave up his time whenever he thought he could make a difference One cause particularly close to his heart was Papyrus UK, the suicide prevention charity dedicated to helping young people Apologies if I'm saying it wrong. It's P A P Y I U S. I believe it's Papyrus. Please correct me if I am wr And Jed Flynn, the charity's CEO, later spoke about Chris's efforts to raise awareness throughout Witness and beyond In his view, Chris had undoubtedly helped save countless lives by helping vulnerable young people find support when they needed it most That's quite a legacy for anyone to leave behind. and showcases how kind hearted the man was Of course being a landlord also meant Chris sometimes had to be the guy who laid down the law Most people who visited the pub got on perfectly well with him but every pub occasionally attracts trouble We all know someone who'd been banned from a pub, I'm sure and Chris's was no different Now he was far from somebody who went looking for confrontation But no is it somebody who backed away from it when circumstances demanded Part of his role involves safeguarding customers and maintaining order within the premises So if someone was causing problems, became aggressive or crossed the line Chris would deal with it quickly and efficiently Witnesses consistently described him as firm but fair. And he didn't tolerate any nonsense If someone needed removing from the pub He'd get rid of them. If someone needed barring, he'd bar them And one particular individual called Lee Christopher Abbott would eventually find himself on the receiving end of exactly that treatment. Physically, Chris was a strong, well built man with a commanding presence He wasn't easily intimidated and certainly wasn't the type to be bullied That would prove important because despite Abbott reportedly being a kickboxer Chris wasn't frightened of him in the slightest But sadly, what began as nothing more than a landlord doing his job would eventually set in motion a chain of events that ended in tragedy thirirty five year old Abbott, a fellow witness native, was at the center of that trouble and lived on Rose Street, according to some sources, with others stating he had no fixed abode Nobody could have known it at the time But a relatively routine decision made by Chris in the summer of twenty nineteen would eventually have devastating consequences Towards the end of July that year. Abert visited the Hammer and Piners. But something about his behavior caused great concern Part of that came from what Chris witnessed himself And there were also reports from customers that Abbot had been telling women inside the pub that it was carrying a knife openly bragging about doing so Chris took those witness reports seriously And as we've already covered, as landlord of the pub, the safety of his customers came first After weighing everything up, he made the decision to bar Abbott. For most people, being barred from a pub is little more than an inconvenience. Most people would go find somewhere else to drink and get on with their lives. Abbert wasn't prepared to let it go that easily On the evening of Friday august second, twenty nineteen He returned to the hammer and pincers At which point, Chris informed him that he was barred and could no longer drink there It's important to note that Chris didn't explain exactly why, which isn't as unusual a practice as you might think Landlords often avoid identifying customers who have raised concerns partly to protect them from potential repercussions So not telling Abbott such detail was the right call to make Abbott left without too much fuss at that point But it's fair to say he didn't take the band seriously becausecause the following lunch time He came back This time his mood was very different with witnesses describing him as being furious and acting in an aggressive manner. He confronted Chris and demanded answers He wanted the bun lift it Chris stood firm in his decision No matter what was said. He wasn't going to change his mind which meant the back and forth exchange became increasingly heated Then Abbott crossed a line. Unable to persuade Chris to reverse the ban using his words, he chose to next resort to threats. Abbt said he would burn the pub to the ground should his ban not be lifted, which is quite the escalation I mean, just think about that from Chris's perspective. Hammer and Pincers wasn't simply his workplace. It was his livelihood. place he'd first met his wife and spent much of his adult life business helped put food on the table for the five members of his family. So Abbott's threat wasn't some throwaway drunken remark as far as Chris was concerned He took it seriously point where he contacted Cheshire Police and reported it That alone tells you how concerned you are He also reported the matter to the local pub watchatch scheme For anyone unfamiliar, Pubwatch groups are essentially partnerships between licensed premises that share information about troublesome individuals The idea is simple. If somebody poses a risk in one pub, other venues are made aware so they can protect their own staff and customers These groups often participate in safety and alcohol awareness campaigns And National Pub Watch, a voluntary organization, supports these local schemes through best practice promotion and information sharing. The Pubwatch scheme in Cheshire is a collaborative effort and following the report made by Chris Abbott's name was added to the local pub watchatch list The result of that was significant because it meant Abbott wasn't just barred from the hammer and pincers anymore He was now banned from every licensed premises in witness for a period of twelve months a decision which was formally communicated to Abbber in a letter which he received on Friday, august ninth, twenty nineteen. just two days later. Everything came to a head. We're gonna to take an ad break now. When we return, we'll head straight into this story's main timeline See you soon Monday AI agents took over my work. And I absolutely love it. Chasing deadlines, writing status reports, updating stakeholders, agents handle the daily grind now. They live inside Monday dot com. So they see the full picture, My work, my team, the whole company. And I don't have to worry about the data. It's safe, which means I'm free to focus on the big stuff, knowing everything runs smoothly in the background It's completely shifted the way we work. Create your own AI agent in minutes on Monday. comot quick question, When was the last time a display ad changed your mind? Now think about the last time a friend told you about something they loved. Different feeling, right? That's how podcast advertising works. A host who's built real trust with their audience talks about your brand in their own words, in their own voice. It doesn't interrupt the experience, it's part of it With ACast, you can access the world's largest podcast marketplace. Choose the right shows, the right audiences, the right format. Then watch the data tell you it worked. You're not buying impressions. You're buying influence. Learn more by visiting ACast d. com slash advertise Welcome back, right. Let's get straight into that men timeline It was Sunday august eleventh And for many people in Witness, it started as an ordinary summer weekend afternoon. For Chris and his family though, it would soon become the worst day imaginable Hours beforehand, Abbott had reportedly been drinking heavily. taken cocaine and had also been involved in an argument with his girlfriend At some point that day, as tensions continued to rise, he made a drastic decision He decided he was going to confront Chris once again He called a taxi and arranged a journey to the Hammer and pincers But before leaving, he armed himself with a large kitchen knife, concealing it inside a small ruck sack As the taxi made its way through wigness carried on with his day completely unaware of what was coming When Abberott arrived at the pub, he walked inside, almost immediately coming face to face with Chris The whole encounter was captured in haunting CCTV footage And from the moment Chris spotted him, he ordered Abbott to leave It was exactly what you'd expect him to do. and surely what Abbott also anticipated would happen He knew full well he was barred and shouldn't have been there The two men then moved outside into the car park area adjacent to the Beer Gardard At first, there's appeared to be like any other argument you'd witness in a pub on a weekend Another confrontation between a landlord enforcing a ban and a disgruntled customer refusing to accept it There was a verbal exchange at first, and according to reports, Abbott put his arm around Chris's neck at one point and pushed him Still down, opting instead to pull out his mobile phone. Realizing the situation was escalating, he called the police and witnesses later described how he even held up the phone to show Abbert what he was doing It was a clear message from Chris. Enough was enough, and it was finally time to get the police properly involved Initially, the threat of the police being summoned seemed to work, as Abbott can be seen on CCTV walking away in what appears to be a calm manner. aps Chris thought the confrontation was over Maybe he thought the sight of the phone had convinced Abbott to leave though he remained on the line all the same Regardless of what he thought in those final moments, it only lasted mere seconds Without warning, Abbott suddenly turned and ran back towards Chris as he stood in the doorway tightly holding the rucksack in front of his body as he closed the distance. Chris had no idea there was a knife inside that bag. and the CCTV showed Abbott producing said weapon at the very last second before launching his violent attack. It was an ambush of the most ferocious nature Yeahet even so. Chris fought back Even in those desperate final moments, he didn't simply crumble at the hands of his attacker He landed a punch powerful enough to send Abbott reeling backwards and briefly interrupted the assault. Damage had already been done. In just twenty one seconds, Abbott stabbed Chris eleven times, breaking the knife in the process At Around three twenty PM, emergency services race to the scene Paramedics and medical staff fighted desperately to save him when they arrived Friends, customers and members of the community could only watch on and hope. there was nothing they could do to save him every effort. Chris died at the scene that afternoon. blink of an eye, a wife had lost her husband and three young kids had lost their dad All because he banned a dangerous person from his beloved pub in order to protect his customers Witness lost one of its most familiar and well loved faces that day And as the emergency crews battled to save Chris's life Abbott fled the scene. He didn't get very farther After running from the hammer and pincers, he made his way to a friend's house, hoping to hide out there for as long as possible The police officers quickly began searching for him and managed to locate him within the hour. And what they found inside only added to the picture that was beginning to emerge Abbott's clothing stained with blood from the attack had already been washed and hung over a radiator to dry In some more haunting footage, police bodycams captured the moment officers arrested Abbott. Shirtless and being placed in handcuffs, he offered little resistance. In fact, he appeared almost eager to confess He told officers You don't need any evidence. I stabbed him to fuck. It's me done exactly what you say D it I admit everything, all right Lee Abbott. Yeah. at the Willy Yeah, I did. Yeahah Oh me It's all my fault, right? I admit everything I'm not going to deny nothing. It's quite a remarkable statement when you hear it. There was no ambiguity or confusion attempt to blame somebody else for what had happened At least not initially A thirty nine year old woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender Now it doesn't state who that person was explicitly though it's a logical guess that she may have been Abott's girlfriend Nevertheless, she was later released on bail while inquiries continued and as far as I can tell, wasn't charged with anything though I may be wrong. As the investigation progressed, Abbott's position slowly began to shift. Clear admissions made at the time of his arrest, captured as clear as day on camera would later become far less straightforward By the time detectives sat down to formally interview him around twenty four hours later, He was already beginning to minimize his responsibility for what had happened It was an approach that remained largely consistent from then on While he admitted killing Chris, he denied murder His legal team argued that he lacked the necessary intent required for a murder conviction. also attempted to advance a defense of diminished responsibility Medical experts, however, did not support that argument Back in Witness, people were struggling to come to terms with what had happened This was a man many people knew personally and loved dearly A man who poured their pints, sponsored local causes, supported charities, and spent years helping his community And the shockwavave spread far beyond the pub itself Questions were asked about the threat Chris had reported to police just days before his death As is standard procedure in cases like this, Cheshire can stabulate review that previous contact through its professional standards department and a subsequent referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the IOPC Meanwhile, officers continued reassuring concerned residents Chief Inspector Simon Parsonage, who oversaw policing in Wyness, said officers were doing everything possible to establish exactly what had happened and reassured them by saying additional patrols would remain in the area. criminal case moved forward, Abbott appeared via video link from HMP OakCourse before Liverpool Crown Court. During that hearing, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Again denied murder He also admitted possessing the knife used in the attack Judge Andrew Meny QC remanded him in custody upon the hearing's conclusion and set a trial date for february twenty twenty For Chris' family and friends, the legal proceedings were only one part of their ordeal Days after his murder, something else happened that left people disgusted. Between the evening of Friday, august sixteenth and lunchtime the following day, Heartless intruders targeted the pub They stole cash from fruit machines and took the keys to Chris's White Ford Tansit van, which was later discovered abandoned elsewhere in Wydness Timing could hardly have been worse The family was grieving and a community mourning. Yet someone still saw an opportunity to help themselves. Detective Sergeant Mark Roberts described the theft as sickening and appealed for information. cameame of that I do not know If there was one positive to emerge from those dark weeks, it was the way the people of Wyness rallied around Chris's family On Monday, august nineteenth, just over a week after his murder Hundreds of bikers descended on the town to show their support. And they weren't alone Pub landlords, local residents and supporters from across the area join them while the event also supported Merseyside Police's No More Kives campaign Cullen, who organized the gathering, summed up what many people were feeling She said He was just a landlord doing his job. Its shocked everybody that's happened in our town And she would bang on. becausecause when you strip everything else away That's exactly what happens Chris wasn't looking for trouble No is he a criminal or someone out to settle a score just at work, doing the job he'd done for years and enforcing a ban against somebody he believed posed a risk Knife crime was becoming an increasingly worrying topic in the area at that time And another incident which happened just one day after Chris was killed added to everyone's concerns. Another witness man named Louis Fox pulled a meat cleaver from his trousers during a fight outside the new Inn on Hale Road The circumstances weren't identical, but there were similarities s and several others had been ejected from that pub by staff before the confrontation unfolded Thankfully, nobody was injured during that incident and Fox was later jailed for eighteen months But it added to growing fears among local landlords especially By september twenty nineteen, pub owners from a cross witness had called what was described as a crisis meeting Many openly questioned whether it was still safe to do their jobs And members of the local pub watchatch scheme spoke of businesses being placed on high alert. One spokesperson even described Witness as being like the wild West Chris Heeden, landlord of the Griffin pub, voiced concerns that police responses to calls for assistance could sometimes be too slow Whether those fears were justified or not, there was no doubt that Chris's murder had rattled the licensed trade throughout the town peoplee who spent their working lives dealing with the public. suddenly found themselves asking a frightening question. couldould what happen to Chris to me. Throughout it all, the community continued finding ways to honor Chris's memory On september twenty second, Merseytown FC hosted a charity football match for the inaugural Christian Thornton Memorial Cup The event was a proper family day out, featuring celebrity guests, face painting, bounty castles, raffles, auctions, music and entertainment throughout the day The proceeds were shared between Chris's family and the No More Knives campaign A few weeks later, on Saturday october twelfth, some friends organized an event that felll especially fitting for a man who'd spent so much of his life supporting local musicians Tiger Fest twenty nineteen. titled after Chris's famous nickname Held at St. Basils Social Club in Witness, the event kicked off in the early afternoon and continued right through until midnight, with more than twenty two bands taken to the stage The festival had been organized by Jenny Colquit and her partner, Simon Farrell who wanted to celebrate Chris's life while helping support the family he'd left behind Like so many events organized in his memory, the response was incredible The hall was packed as people turned out in huge numbers By the end of the day, more than two thousand pounds had been raised. The G Funde campaign was also established by one of Chris's friends and attracted support from people who simply wanted to chip in and help is something you see time and time again in cases like this person commits an act of terrible violence But in the aftermath, countless others stepp forward with kindness If there's one thing that becomes clear when reading about Chris It's that the community support shown after his death reflected the support he himself had spent years giving to others When Abbott's trial finally got underway at Liverpool Crown Court The courtroom was already carrying the weight of everything that had come before it The killing of Christian Thornton wasn't in dispute, as Abbott had already admitted manslaughter But what the jury had to decide was whether this was murder Abbott display the sufficient intent to justify them finding him guilty of that charge Or did this one sit somewhere else in the eyes of the law under the divisive charge of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility Abber's defense team argued that his judgment had been severely impaired at the time They said he'd been heavily intoxicated on alcohol and cocaine And therefore, his mental state meant he wasn't fully in control of his actions in the way the prosecution claimed. They went further as well. The jury heard evidence that Abbbert had been sexually abused by a gangster when he was a teenager. And his estranged wife gave evidence that he'd previously believed he was Jesus