Middleton man jailed for fatal stabbing

Guilty: Christopher Kelly

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A man who fatally stabbed Lee Poole has today, (Wednesday 22 December 2010) been sentenced.

Christopher Kelly, born 34, of Rochdale Road, Middleton, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Monday 1 November 2010 at Manchester Crown Court.

Kelly was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison and will remain on licence for a further three-and-a-half years.

Mr Poole, 37, died after being stabbed several times in the body and chest during a disturbance at The Valley pub, on Glendower Drive, Collyhurst, on Sunday 2 May 2010.

He was taken to North Manchester General Hospital where he later died.

Earlier that evening, Mr Poole had had been drinking in a Manchester bar with his pregnant girlfriend, his nephew and others.

At the same time a number of Mr Poole's relatives, including his brother, were having a drink at the Valley pub. Kelly was separately enjoying a drink at the pub with his brother and friends.

During the evening a row erupted outside the pub between another of Mr Poole's nephews and one of Kelly's friends. A fight broke out between them, during which Mr Poole's brother tried to intervene, but was also assaulted.

Later that night a second disturbance broke out inside the pub. Two women connected to each group started fighting on the dancefloor and Kelly went to intervene, dragging one of them away.

As a result of the trouble, the pub landlady asked Mr Poole's family to leave and she locked the doors. Kelly and his friends remained in the pub until the landlady decided, some time later, that tensions had cooled enough for her to open the doors. Kelly and his friends then left.

Around this time Mr Poole received a phone call telling him his brother had been assaulted so he caught a taxi with his girlfriend and nephew and got dropped off at the Valley pub.

Mr Poole walked towards the pub's side entrance where he and Kelly confronted each other. They both immediately started fighting, during which Kelly got the upper hand.

He pinned Mr Poole to the floor while straddling him. Witnesses then saw Kelly make a punching motion towards Mr Poole's body. This was when Mr Poole suffered the stab wounds.

Mr Poole was taken to hospital but later died. The post mortem examination concluded he died from multiple stab wounds

Senior investigator Vinny Chadwick said: "This was a completely needless death of a man in the prime of his life.

"This case shows the tragic consequences of what can happen when people are prepared to carry and use knives."