Rhyan Cooper, 29, was found guilty of the manslaughter of ‘kind’ Thomas Tierney, 54, after the pair had been drinking at a pub, reports Teesside Live.
Cooper had poked Tierney with a straw and placed his empty pint glass on his friend’s head as they sat in the Blue Post pub in Stockton, on Friday, September 1, 2023.
He poured the drink Mr Tierney had bought him on the floor, under the table – in an attempt to call it a night. He kept moving Mr Tierney’s drink away from him, to annoy his friend.
A member of the door staff warned him to behave. Cooper then knocked his mate’s drink as Mr Tierney was holding it, frustrated because he wanted to go home and his friend wasn’t ready.
The drink splashed over Mr Tierney , who retaliated by pouring the remainder of his pint over Cooper. Door staff noticed what was going on, and ejected both men from the pub.
Mr Tierney walked out of the alleyway and onto Stockton High Street. Cooper followed behind and called his friend’s name, and as Mr Tierney turned around, Cooper shoved him in the chest with both hands. Mr Tierney fell, hitting his head on the ground.
Two women who were enjoying a night out, saw what had happened while doorstaff from The Blue Post went to help.
Mr Tierney suffered a fractured skull in the fall and died from severe brain injuries three days later in hospital.
Cooper, from Havilland Road in Thornaby, denied manslaughter but was found guilty after a trial in March. He insisted that Mr Tierney had shoved him first and that his own actions were in self-defence.
A female witness recounted to the court how Mr Tierney “hit the floor like a plank of wood” and described the younger man as appearing furious. On Thursday, Cooper donned an orange hoodie and kept his gaze lowered while seated in the dock at Teesside Crown Court for his sentencing.
Marie Gardiner, Mr Tierney’s sister, shared a heartfelt statement with the court, painting her brother as “a very gentle man” who was “kind and caring, and wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
A statement from Mr Tierney’s sister, Marie Gardiner, was read out to the court, in which she described her brother as “a very gentle man” who was “kind and caring, and wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Ms Gardiner said that she “can’t describe the anguish and disbelief that he has gone and I won’t see his kind face again. Our hearts our broken. Nothing will ever be the same without our gentle, loving brother.”
In mitigation, Andrew Strauss told the court that “all parties accept that this has been a tragic case.” He said that Cooper has stopped drinking, and added: “He has found what happened on that night almost impossible to deal with. He’s struggled, almost non-stop, to cope with it.”
Mr Strauss described Cooper as an isolated person; with his social life defined by his contact with Mr Tierney. The barrister said: “It was the most important friendship he had. That adds an extra layer of tragedy to this case.”
Cooper’s barrister pleaded for a suspension in his sentence, stating: “It wasn’t a roll-your-sleeves-up, get outside and go for a fight on the street. It was but a push, it was not followed up by further blows or assault.”
However, Judge Jonathan Carroll painted a picture of aggression telling Cooper: “It’s clear that you had had enough, but you didn’t just get up and leave. You sought to irritate, provoke or annoy Mr Tierney by moving his drink, poking him, putting your glass over the top of his head. Eventually he reacted and threw some of his drink back at you.
“You both walked down the alleyway in single file. You called him and placed both of your hands on his chest and aggressively pushed him. One of the submissions on your behalf is that this was a spontaneous thing. In my judgement, it was not.
“You were petulant inside the pub. You were given a warning. You continued. You fired up again as you left the alleyway. Maria Gardiner talks of the devastating loss. She talks of Mr Tierney as a gentle man.”
Cooper didn’t react as he was jailed for five years. He will serve two-thirds of his sentence in custody. A relative broke down in tears and waved to him, as he was led away.