Two men hugged a 66-year-old pensioner before launching a vicious attack that left him unconscious in Liverpool city centre. Paul McCann, a retiree, said his confidence had been shattered and he no longer feels safe entering the city centre, considering moving away from Merseyside.
Attack Details
Paul had been out drinking with friends on October 20, 2024, and was heading home alone around midnight when he encountered a homeless woman in a wheelchair, Cheryl Driver, and began speaking to her, Liverpool Crown Court heard. Prosecutor Simon Leong described how Michael Coyle and Keith White were both in her company at the time.
CCTV footage captured White approaching Paul and hugging him. The retiree then pushed him away before giving him a slight slap to the face. Coyle then shoved Paul and punched him several times while White grappled with him. The pair swung him around and left him lying on the floor. He was briefly knocked unconscious after being kicked to the ground.
Aftermath and Impact
After regaining consciousness, Paul ran to a nearby hotel, where staff called the police. He later went to hospital with pain and bruising to his ribs, which he suspected had been broken in the attack. However, he left before receiving treatment due to long waiting times and because he needed to return home to feed his dogs.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Paul said: “My confidence has been shattered. I no longer feel safe in the dark. I will not enter Liverpool city centre. I no longer feel safe in the city centre. I’m saddened that this incident has affected me to the point I’m no longer able to do things that brought me joy. I’m hyper aware of my surroundings and of people hanging around on street corners. I feel old and question whether I can and should do some things. I’m no longer the carefree person I was. I’m hoping, in the future, I will be able get my confidence back. I’m considering moving to another part of the country.”
Defendants' Backgrounds
Paul’s attackers were identified through CCTV footage. White had a total of 35 previous convictions for 50 offences, including robberies in Ireland in 2011 and 2013, a 28-month sentence for unlawful wounding in 2022, and an 18-month community order for burglary in January 2025. Paul Becker, defending White, said: “He has been on remand for seven months. I am asking your honour to impose a sentence today that would effectively ensure that the defendant is time served for what is a serious offence of affray. He is sorry for what he has done. He understands the harm he has caused.”
Coyle’s criminal record showed 16 convictions for 21 offences, including receiving 24 weeks for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage in May 2025. His counsel Lucy Moran told the court: “Your honour will note long standing struggles with substance misuse and lengthy periods of homelessness throughout his life. He was, previously to his remand, at the YMCA. That accommodation is available upon his release.”
Sentencing
Coyle and White both admitted affray on the day they were due to stand trial accused of robbery. No evidence was ultimately offered by the Crown in relation to this count, which 47-year-old Driver also previously faced. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, Coyle and White were jailed for six months each.
Sentencing, Recorder Eric Lamb said: “In your case, White, to your credit, as a result of having been in custody for a period seven months or so, you are now free of your addiction to class A drugs. Those drugs have caused issues with your leg, which mean that you are likely to lose your leg in the near future. You are now drug free, so you are totally different than you had been at the time of your remand in custody, and there is accommodation waiting for you. So far as you, Coyle, are concerned, you have a history of substance misuse and problems attached to homelessness. It is clear that you have demonstrated remorse by the plea which you have entered. I have concluded that there are not grounds, in either case, for the sentence to be suspended.”
