Newlove killers are jailed for life

Popular salesman Garry Newlove was kicked "like a football" in front of his terrified wife and daughters on August 10 last year as a savage gang turned on him for trying to protect his property.

His murder sparked a national debate on youth crime and bail policy after he was killed, having left his home bare-footed in Warrington, Cheshire, to remonstrate with a group of teenage thugs who had damaged wife Helen's car.

Mr Newlove, a happily-married plastics company worker who had beaten stomach cancer, was knocked to the ground and beaten. He suffered massive head injuries and died two days later in hospital.

His killers were jailed as his tearful widow repeatedly broke down in the public gallery at Chester Crown Court.

Gang ringleader Adam Swellings, 19, of Crewe was ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years behind bars. It emerged, after the trio were found guilty on January 16 of Mr Newlove's murder, that Swellings had been released from custody for an assault just hours before the attack.

He was freed on bail on condition he stayed away from Warrington but he never left the town. Instead he met up with accomplices Stephen Sorton and Jordan Cunliffe and began their drink and drugs binge.

Sorton, 17, of Warrington, with whom he had committed a previous violent attack, was locked up for a minimum of 15 years.

And the third killer, Cunliffe, 16, formerly of Warrington, was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years.

Jailing the teenagers, His Honour Mr Justice Andrew Smith said: "You were three of a gang who attacked Garry Newlove only because he had the courage to remonstrate with you. It was a gang attack, each of you continued to behave aggressively after you had finished with Garry Newlove."