Stephen Cole, a former Liverpool FC reserve player and doorman at the Cream nightclub, was hacked to death by a mob of around 20 bouncers in the Farmer's Arms pub in Fazakerley on May 19 1996. The attack, which took place in front of his wife and friends, was the culmination of a bitter rivalry between security firms in Liverpool's nightlife 'door wars'.
Cole, described as a 'Jekyll and Hyde' character, was a violent and intimidating figure on the door but a loving husband and father at home. He had previously been acquitted of trying to shoot a rival bouncer.
Rivalry and the stabbing that sparked the attack
Animosity had been building between Cole's friend and fellow doorman Chitton Jenkins and John Dillon, who worked at the Continental club. On May 12 1996, Jenkins stabbed Dillon at Brubaker's Club in Kirkby, though Dillon survived. Tensions escalated further on May 18 when there was a stand-off between bouncers outside Cream and the Continental in Wolstenholme Square.
On May 19, police received a tip-off that Cole intended to shoot Dillon. Dillon refused police protection and instead made more than 60 calls to other doormen, orchestrating a hit of his own. Around 40 bouncers gathered outside Gino's wine bar in Kirkby and set off in a convoy, visiting the Copplehouse pub and the Chaser before heading to the Farmer's Arms.
Attack in the Farmer's Arms
At around 10pm, around 20 bouncers, mostly from the Continental, burst into the pub. Armed with machetes, baseball bats and knives, they descended on Cole. He rose to his feet and said: "Come on. Have a go if you think you can do it." He knocked one man to the ground but was swarmed by the mob and 'hacked to death' in front of his wife, Lorraine.
Lorraine recognised one of the attackers as John Riley, a family friend of 17 years who had attended their wedding and the christenings of their children. She asked him: "What are you doing this for?" Riley replied: "That's for what he's done, that's for the stabbing." Cole suffered 13 wounds to his skull, torso and legs.
Trial and convictions
Riley and 43-year-old Robert McCarthy were charged with murder and found guilty at Preston Crown Court in November 1997, each jailed for life with a recommended minimum of 20 years. Ray Navarro was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 10 years. Dillon later admitted conspiracy to commit violent disorder and was jailed for four years.
Before the trial, witnesses faced a campaign of threats including petrol bombings, threatening calls and vandalism. Det Supt Russ Walsh, who led the investigation, said: "There is obviously a fear factor involved when you see something so brutal and horrific." Lorraine Cole became the star witness, describing her horror as Riley repeatedly hacked at her husband's body while she cradled him.
End of the door wars and Dillon's later conviction
The Security Industry Authority was formed in 2001 to regulate the security industry, and a car bomb campaign by a drugs gang known as The Piranhas led to a change in mindset, with security bosses becoming more willing to cooperate with police. John Dillon left the security service and later became a combat coach at Kirkby Amateur Boxing Club.
In September 2023, Dillon, then 55, was unmasked as an organised crime boss importing cocaine from Europe and Colombia. He used the EncroChat encrypted phone network and was linked to the handle 'DeepOasis'. He was jailed for 18 years and nine months at Liverpool Crown Court on September 28 2023 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to import and supply Class A drugs.
