Teenage thugs locked up after leaving dad-of-one brain damaged in vicious attack

Kain Corrigan, aged 17, and his 15-year-old accomplice, who cannot be named for legal reasons, kicked and stamped on Paul Cunliffe's head and dragged his body across the road in a drink and drug-fuelled onslaught.

They returned twice more to continue the attack on 44-year-old Mr Cunliffe, who had been walking to work for his night shift. He was found, severely injured, by people alerted by the disturbance near Pimhole Community Farm on School Street, Bury.

Pimhole Community Farm

At Manchester Crown Court Corrigan, now aged 18, of Walmersley Road, Bury, was sentenced to five years in a young offenders' institution and his co-accused, now aged 16 and also from Bury, to four years' detention.

"This was a particularly serious offence that plainly warrants severe punishment," Judge Patrick Field QC, told them.

"Together you launched a vicious and merciless attack on him [Mr Cunliffe] that included various blows, that included kicks and stamps on his head as he lay on the ground. He had done nothing to provoke this violence."

Michael Lavery, prosecuting, told the court how Mr Cunliffe, a married man with a two-year-old daughter, worked nights for low wages at a business at Pilsworth, taking two buses and walking from his Rochdale home.

Just before 11.30pm on July 24 last year he stopped at the BP petrol station on Rochdale Road, Bury, to buy a drink before continuing his journey down the quiet and isolated School Street.

But as he passed the community farm he walked past Corrigan and the 15-year-old. Both had been drinking and taking drugs and they then confronted him, asking for a cigarette.

When Mr Cunliffe refused as he only had enough to last though his shift, the teenagers persisted.

"He was then put in a headlock and taken to the floor from which point his recollection is virtually non-existent," said Mr Lavery.

CCTV pictures showed that, after their first three-minute attack on their victim, the teenagers picked up a mobile phone from the ground and walked off with their arms around each other, apparently celebrating.

But then they returned to their victim to continue the assault before Corrigan headed to the petrol station to buy a drink.

Severely injured Mr Corrigan staggered to a nearby private house for help, pressing the buzzer at the gates, but the owners, not realising what was happening, ignored it and threatened to send their dogs out, Mr Lavery said.

Then, just before 11pm, Corrigan and the 15-year-old returned, carrying a bottle of vodka and stamped and kicked their victim again.

One resident heard shouting ans screaming and witnessed one of the teenagers dragging Mr Cunliffe's body across the road.

The pair ran off, smashing the bottle on the farm gates as they went and the noise alerted people at the farm and nearby house, who found Mr Cunliffe lying on the ground and called an ambulance.

Mr Cunliffe suffered severe head and brain injuries, which the court heard has left him with memory loss and possible long-term problems with mood and concentration.

The younger boy was linked to the crime after his DNA was found on Apple earphones he dropped at the scene.

Corrigan used Mr Cunliffe's stolen mobile phone to call his twin brother's girlfriend and phone records led police to catch him.

Both youths were initially charged with attempted murder but the prosecution subsequently accepted their guilty pleas to intentionally causing grievous bodily harm.

Stuart Duke, defending Corrigan, said both youths had been heavily under the influence of drink and drugs at the time.

He said Corrigan had had a "miserable childhood" which featured violence and physical and mental abuse.

Khadim Al' Hassan, for the 16-year-old, stressed that he only has the language skills of a seven to nine-year-old and had not been attending school. He added that, while awaiting sentence he has progressed well with the intensive support he has received.

But Judge Field told the defendants: "To kick someone to the head and to stamp on his head must, on any view, be regarded as highly dangerous and culpable behaviour."