A teenager was killed by people acting like “savages” when he tried to break up a “drunken yobbish brawl” in Ilkeston, a court has heard. Liam Derrett, 19, was punched twice by Kai Donachie and then once by Joshua Harris in Ilkeston Market Place in June last year. The second blow caused him to fall and hit his head, leading to a fractured skull and bleed on the brain. He died two days later in hospital.
Derby Crown Court was told that Mr Derrett was not involved in the initial fight and was trying to calm those involved. Prosecutor Andrew Vout KC said witnesses described him as a “peacemaker” who was sober and posed no threat. CCTV showed Donachie striking him first, then Harris delivering a “really hard punch” from behind. After the assault, the two defendants clasped hands in a celebratory handshake and did nothing to help the victim.
Sentencing, Judge Shaun Smith KC said the violence was “drunken yobbish violence” that people are “sick of” across the country. He noted Mr Derrett was “incontrovertibly acting as a peacemaker” and was completely innocent. Donachie, 24, from Nottingham, pleaded guilty to affray, while Harris, 24, from Ilkeston, admitted manslaughter. Both initially claimed self-defence.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Derrett’s family described him as “cheeky, lively and funny” and someone who “saw the good in everyone”. They said he was “needlessly taken from us by people who could not control themselves and behaved like savages”. His father Sam added that Liam never got into trouble and was an ideal son.
