A man who murdered a cyclist during an attack with a knuckleduster was jailed for life at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday.
Cole Newark, 22, had denied the murder of father of two Darren Birks, age 40, but was found guilty earlier this week following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.
On Friday Judge John Pini QC, passing sentence at Lincoln Crown Court, ordered Newark to serve a minimum of 20 years before he can be considered for parole.
The court was told that the fatal attack took place on the evening of April 29 last year as Mr Birks was cycling past a Premier shop on Shaw Road, Boston.
Darren Birks was the victim of Cole Newark’s brutal attack. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Newark, who had a grievance with Mr Birks, ran after him into Ingram Road where he carried out the attack with the knuckleduster.
The assault lasted for a very short period of time during which Newark inflicted devastating injuries to his victim, leaving him lying on the ground covered in blood.
Mr Birks suffered serious brain damage together with fractures to his right eye socket, his right jaw and his right cheekbone. He was placed in an induced coma in hospital but died on May 9.
Newark claimed he had no recollection of the incident and did not give evidence during his trial. He has never revealed his motive for the attack.
After his conviction he wrote to the judge apologising but disputing the fact that he had a knuckleduster on him at the time of the attack.
The court heard that Mr Birk’s family have been left devastated.
In a statement read out in court, his mother Nicola Birks said: “Never does a mother want a knock on the door in the middle of the night to see the police standing there. I was told that my son was not going to live.
“I watched Daz take his last breath. He has two children. I couldn’t let them see their dad with the horrific state he was in.
“Members of my family have been really struggling to deal with what happened to Darren.”
Judge Pini today told Newark: “You have shown no remorse. There is no doubt that you pose a real danger to the public.
“Darren Birks cycled towards the store and turned right into Ingram Road. You saw him and took off at speed after Darren Birks.
“You inflicted devastating injuries to him before running back towards the shop. He was left covered in blood.
“You were standing nearby saying you hadn’t done anything. It was a truly devastating and quite determined assault.”
James House QC, prosecuting, said: “Anyone who uses such a weapon, uses it for one thing and that is to cause very serious injury or indeed to kill.
“This man used a knuckle duster and caused serious head injuries, multiple fractures causing damage to the brain.
“He [Mr Birks] never regained consciousness and died ten days later.”
Two months earlier Cole used the same knuckleduster to attack a former friend, Mark Storr, during an incident outside the Stump and Candle pub in Boston.
Newark pulled the weapon from his pocket and struck Mr Storr to the head. Mr Storr was left dazed and was held up by his friends but Newark continued the attack striking him twice more. One of the blows was so powerful that it dented a titanium plate previously inserted in Mr Storr’s head.
Newark, 22, of Witham Bank West, Boston, denied the murder of Mr Birks and possession of an offensive weapon on April 29, 2019 but admitted manslaughter. He was convicted of both murder and possession of an offensive weapon.
He also denied attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Storr on February 16 last year, but pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon on that occasion. The jury found him guilty of attempting to cause GBH.
Clive Stockwell QC, in mitigation, said that Newark was only 20 at the time he carried out the attacks.
He said Newark has been diagnosed as having learning difficulties.
“There was a lack of premeditation. There was no way of Cole Newark knowing that Darren Birks was going to cycle past.
“In his letter he says he still disputes having the knuckleduster and using it in the assault on Darren Birks. In the letter he expresses apologies for his actions.”
After the trial the family said: “We as a family would like to thank everyone that has been involved in bringing us justice. In particular, Keith Roberts, Karl Whiffen, Calley Murray and all their team who we know have worked tirelessly collecting the evidence needed to bring us this verdict. We definitely wouldn’t be where we are now without them.
“It has been an extremely difficult struggle and a long time coming. But with the continued support of family and many friends we have held on to each other and come through this. I truly can’t stress enough how grateful we are to you all, you’ve held us up, and Darren can now rest in peace.
“The attack on Darren was particularly vicious, and no amount of years will fade that from our memories!
“Left in the aftermath of Cole Newark’s actions are myself along with Darren’s sister, brothers and many other relatives and friends. But most of all are Darren’s two beautiful young children who have lost their dad! They need to grow as children should now, without this shadow forever hanging over them!
“We’d also like everyone out there to remember that Cole Newark’s actions have affected two families and not ours alone.
“And finally, please, please, please do not carry a weapon! If you don’t have it, then you can’t use it!”
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Scunthorpe United’s first team manager Neil Cox and his assistant Mark Lillis will miss Tuesday night’s game away against Cheltenham at 6pm over fears of coronavirus.
Mark is awaiting the results of a coronavirus test.
Neil is showing no symptoms, but due to coming into close contact with his assistant he will also have to self-isolate as the club continues to allow Public Health England and EFL guidelines and protocols.
Under-23s manager Russ Wilcox will take charge of the team until Neil and Mark are able to return to their duties.
The League Two club said: “Normally we’d receive the test results within 24 to 48 hours, but because of a backlog in that process the club has been told it may be a wait of up to five days.”
Scunthorpe also confirmed that one of their players has tested positive for COVID-19, but asked that his “request for privacy and confidentially are respected at this time”.
Due to coming into close contact with that player, another member of the squad will also have to self-isolate.
It has since been revealed that the victim is a 26-year-old man, who is being treated in hospital where he is a serious but stable condition.
Two men were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remain in custody in connection with the shooting incident.
A number of crime scene investigators attended the scene. Forensic examinations have been taking place.
A forensic tent was placed over a Vauxhall Astra, while some residents reportedly said there was a problem with drugs in the area.
A police cordon was put in place, as well as a forensic tent over a car, on Dale Street in Scunthorpe.
A car with a “bullet hole” in a door has become the focus of the police investigation. The hole reportedly appears to have been made by a bullet that can be seen on the rear driver-side door, just above the handle.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Gadd said: “Thankfully, this kind of incident is extremely rare in the area.
“We believe that this was a targeted attack and that there is no risk to the wider public, but I fully appreciate the impact it will have had on the local community and wider Scunthorpe area.
“You will see lots of our officers over the coming days, both as part of our ongoing investigation and to provide reassurance.
“If you have information that you think could assist our investigation, or you have any worries or concerns, please come and talk to us.
“If you don’t want to do it person, you can call our non-emergency 101 line, quoting log number 713 of October 19. If you’d rather not give your name, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”
A convicted Lincolnshire sex offender who continued to message underage girls after he was released from prison was sent back to jail for four years on Tuesday.
Andrew Martin Cook, now 54, was also given an extended licence sentence of three years on his release from prison after a judge concluded that he was “dangerous” and posed a significant risk to children.
Cook was originally sentenced to four and half years jail in November 2014 after he admitted having sex with an underage girl at an unoccupied property in Lincoln.
On that occasion Cook, then of Newark Road in the city, took the girl to the house where there was a mattress after picking her up from a park.
As part of the sentence Cook was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which prohibited him from having any unsupervised contact with girls under 16 for ten years.
Lincoln Crown Court heard Cook was released from prison but came to the attention of his risk management officer in February last year while he was living at an address on Britannia Terrace in Gainsborough.
Phil Howes, prosecuting, said his phone was analysed by police and found to contain over 4,000 indecent images of children.
They included 750 in the most serious category, including images of child rape, four prohibited images and one image of extreme pornography.
Cook was again questioned by police in February this year, while living at an address in Lincoln, after he was discovered to have communicated with three underage girls while he was aged between 51 and 53.
The court heard a second phone was seized from him and two of the girls were found to be aged twelve, with the other complainant aged 13.
Mr Howes said Cook asked one of the girls to send him an indecent photograph of herself.
In another comment Cook also asked one of the victims if he could feel under her clothes.
An exchange between Cook and one of the girls came to over 4,000 messages over 107 days.
Michael Cranmer-Brown, mitigating, told the court Cook did not meet up with any of his victims and had tried to seek help after being released from prison.
Cook pleaded guilty to twelve sexual offences including three offences of sexually communicating with a child, one charge of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and possessing indecent child images, prohibited images and an extreme pornographic image.
Passing sentence Judge John Pini QC said it was clear Cook met the criteria for being dangerous and posed a significant risk to children.
The judge told Cook his exchanges with the girls were “disgusting and deeply perverted.”
Cook was also made the subject of a further ten year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
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