Wigan dad jailed for killing his friend 'Baggo'

The victim, Nicholas 'Baggo' Sullivan, was knocked out by a punch which hit him “square in the face by his left eye propelling him immediately backwards onto the wooden floor.”

While he lay unconscious in the Georgia Brown pub in Market Street, Hindley, he suffered a cardiac arrest, said Nick Johnson, QC, prosecuting.

Despite being repeatedly resuscitated he suffered further heart attacks and was declared dead in hospital a few hours later having suffered devastating brain damage.

Graphic footage of the incident was played to Liverpool Crown Court on Friday - before which relatives of 51-year-old Mr Sullivan had left court - but other shocked family supporters gasped and swore at seeing the flurry of blows.

The court heard that earlier that evening father-of-two Mr Sullivan, described as a man who “lived life to the full”, had acted as a peacemaker when 29-year-old Cropper got into an argument with another man outside a nearby pub.

Mr Johnson said that it was “not clear and perhaps will never be clear” whether the row at the bar was about the earlier incident.

Powerfully-built Cropper, of Arundel Street, Hindley, was originally charged with murder, which he denied, but his plea to manslaughter on the grounds of lack of intent to cause serious harm, was accepted by the Crown.

Jailing him for four years eight months Judge Alan Conrad, QC, said,”All too often, at night and in drink, on the streets or in the licensed premises of our towns and cities, violence flares up with terrible consequences.

“Sometimes, as in this case, the life of a good person is taken away. The effect on the families and loved ones of the tragedy so caused is devastating.

“Any sentence imposed will be regarded as inadequate to those close to Mr Sullivan, who was a well-loved and decent man. They face a lifetime of grief and an irreplaceable loss - while you will be released and able to resume your life after a period of time.”

Mr Johnson told the court that earlier on the fateful evening Cropper had been out commemorating the sixth anniversary of his mum’s death and Mr Sullivan, who was his dad’s best friend, was part of the group.

In the Last Orders pub Cropper began remonstrating with Keith Roberts, a neighbour of his dad’s partner, and became aggressive but they were separated by Mr Sullivan, known as ‘Baggo’, and another witness. Five minutes later outside the premises Cropper ran at Mr Roberts to punch him but others intervened to prevent violence.

About 10.30pm Cropper went into the Georgia Brown pub where Mr Sullivan was at the bar and a conversation escalated into a row. Mr Sullivan hit Cropper on the chin, but with little or no significant force, and Cropper then “delivered in excess of 10 punches in quick succession towards his head as both men were restrained by others in a huddled group.”

When he got home that night Cropper told his partner that Mr Sullivan had hit him hurting his lip so he hit him back. He told police that he had hit the victim once and described him as a friend and said he was “truly sorry for what had happened.”

The victim’s sister, Elizabeth Heaton, described him in an impact statement as a hard working and family orientated man. The whole family including his two daughters, aged 19 and 20, are devastated.

“He lived life to the full and recently celebrated his 50th birthday in Las Vegas. “I feel extreme sadness, deep, deep down sadness,” she stated.

Mark Rhind, defending, said that Cropper, who has two convictions for battery and common assault involving a former partner in 2013, was a friend of the victim and recently visited him when he had been in hospital.

“In other circumstances he would be sitting in the public gallery with the family no doubt angry and upset at the loss of a decent man in a senseless way. It is a tragedy for everybody.”

He had been at the bar with money in hand to buy Mr Sullivan a drink but Mr Sullivan was still upset and when he hit him Cropper accepted he over-reacted. It was over inanely a few seconds. In those few seconds everything changed, sadly Mr Sullivan lost his life and Craig Cropper’s life is changed forever.”

Mr Rhind added that it appeared that only two of the blows landed and he had not intended to cause serious harm. Cropper was a hard working man and he and his partner have two children but she has now ended their relationship as she did not think it was fair for her or them to wait for him to be freed.