Pictured: Teenagers found GUILTY of killing father after they mocked him for looking like Ant McPartlin as he walked home from the pub with his partner

• Daniel Humble, 35, was repeatedly kicked on the floor and left with head injury
• He had been out with partner Adele Stubbs in Cramlington, Northumberland
• Ex-soldier Alistair Dickson, 18, of Hawkins Way, Blyth, Northumberland, was convicted of murder after jurors heard he stamped on Mr Humble’s head
• 18-year-olds Ethan Scott, of Chester Grove, Blyth; Kyros Robinson, from Woodside Avenue, Seaton Delaval; Bailey Wilson, of Mitford Avenue, Blyth; and a 17-year-old who cannot be identified were found guilty of manlaughter 

A teenager has been convicted of murder and four others were found guilty of manslaughter after they after they mocked a father for looking like Ant McPartlin as he walked home from the pub with his partner.

They had shared a joke with Daniel Humble, 35, that he looked like the TV presenter Ant McPartlin moments before the attack on Friday, May 28, last year.

Mr Humble had been out with partner Adele Stubbs for a meal and drinks in Cramlington, Northumberland, after lockdown rules were relaxed, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The teenagers, then aged 16 to 18, surrounded the father-of-two near an underpass, repeatedly kicked him on the floor and left him with a ‘catastrophic’ head injury from which he could not recover, jurors were told. He died in hospital two days later.

Daniel Humble, 35, was repeatedly kicked on the floor and left with a ‘catastrophic’ head injury

Ex-soldier Alistair Dickson, 18, of Hawkins Way, Blyth, Northumberland, was convicted of murder after jurors heard he stamped on Mr Humble’s head.

The jury cleared his co-defendants of murder but found them guilty of manslaughter.

They were 18-year-olds Ethan Scott, of Chester Grove, Blyth; Kyros Robinson, from Woodside Avenue, Seaton Delaval; Bailey Wilson, of Mitford Avenue, Blyth; and a 17-year-old who cannot be identified by the media due to his age.

Moments before the attack, Mr Humble was the subject of a joke when one of the teenagers said he looked like Ant McPartlin from the television duo Ant and Dec.

It was received in good humour and it wasn’t the first time he’d heard it. But shortly after, Mr Humble tried to punch one of the group, then aged 16, before he himself was knocked to the floor.

The court heard Mr Humble and Miss Stubbs had visited a number of venues that night, including a restaurant called the Mandarin Bay and pubs, including the Blagdon Arms.  

Ex-soldier Alistair Dickson, 18, of Hawkins Way, Blyth, Northumberland, was convicted of murder after jurors heard he stamped on Mr Humble’s head

Miss Stubbs told the police that they had had a really good night out, drinking, dancing and singing.

In a video-recorded interview, Miss Stubbs said they were on a ‘date night’ and they had been out for a few drinks and a meal. She said she can’t remember leaving the pub or getting to the underpass and wasn’t sure if Mr Humble had said ‘what did you just say’ to the teenagers they encountered.

She said she remembers someone delivering an uppercut from the left and added: ‘It went from zero to 100 just like that. I was screaming “get off him, get off him.” I said “get off him, leave him, he’s hurt.”

Miss Stubbs fought back tears as she described seeing her partner lying on the ground. 

She said: ‘He was out. There was blood trickling from his mouth… Instinct kicked in and I knew something was really wrong and I started CPR. I couldn’t look at his face because I knew. I was shouting “what the F have you done to him.” He wasn’t breathing.’

She added: ‘I’m a nurse. Something kicked in that something was seriously wrong. Then I heard sirens and felt relieved someone was coming to help.’ 

Prosecutor Jacob Hallam QC said: ‘By chance, their path crossed with that of the defendants. After an exchange, which may have included Mr Humble hitting one of the defendants to the head, the defendants surrounded and attacked him. 

‘The attack was short and sustained. It left Mr Humble unconscious with a catastrophic injury to his head, from which he did not recover.’

Multiple witnesses reported hearing people fighting, with ‘the noise of the defendants’ kicks striking home’, as Mr Humble was subject to ‘a right battering’.

One witness said the kicking and stamping was ‘wherever they could: legs, face, neck, stomach and chest’. 

Another recalled seeing each of the attackers kick Mr Humble in the head and he estimated that the number of kicks he could see were ‘at least 30 or 40 in number’. 

Mr Hallam said: ‘Once the attack had stopped it appears that the defendants acted in a variety of ways. Some of them appear to have become emotional and attempted to justify themselves. 

‘Some appear to have stayed at the scene for a while. In the event, every single one of them ran away, leaving the sobbing Adele Stubbs trying desperately but fruitlessly to save the life of her partner.’

Kyros Robinson, 18, of Woodside Avenue, Seaton Delaval, was cleared of murder but found  guilty of manslaughter

Mr Justice Bennathan told the defendants that ‘significant custodial’ terms would follow when they are sentenced in September after pre-sentence reports are compiled.  

The judge said: ‘I’m going to remand these young men into custody given they face significant periods of loss of liberty.’

He then thanked the jury for their work in what are ‘obviously grim matters’.

Earlier in the trial Izaak Little, 18, of Blackthorn Drive, Blyth, and a 17-year-old defendant were cleared at the direction of the judge.

Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Brooks, of Northumbria Police, said: ‘This is a truly tragic case in which a father lost his life and our thoughts very much remain with Danny’s heartbroken family and loved ones.

‘Danny was a very respected member of the Cramlington community and leaves behind two completely devastated children, a committed partner, loving family and countless friends.

‘This has been a complex investigation that has relied on the support of the community to come forward as witnesses and assist with the case — and I would like to thank people for their assistance.’

She added: ‘So many lives have been destroyed by what happened that night.

‘Children have been left without a father and those responsible have caused pain and suffering for their own loved ones and shattered their own chances of a happy future.

Bailey Wilson, 18, of Mitford Avenue, Blyth, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter

‘No one wins where violence is concerned and I want to send a clear message to anyone who believes that such actions are acceptable – the consequences are devastating and can rip lives apart.’

Mr Humble’s father described him as a ‘beautiful, happy and contented person’.

After the hearing, Mr Humble’s mother Deborah said: ‘On May 29 2021, my life turned black.

‘Danny had dropped his children off, then seven and five years old, for a sleepover. He and his partner were going on their first date since lockdown restrictions had eased.

‘Danny and the children were laughing, singing and joking together. They were talking about the plans for the next week — half-term.

‘He kissed and hugged us all and gave a wave and left, then jokingly came back for another wave and smile.

‘Hours later, police were at the door and my memory just turns to black after that.’

Mr Humble’s father, Vaughan, added: ‘We will never again hear his laughter, witness his love of life or that dazzling six-million-dollar smile. He was a beautiful, happy and contented person, loved and respected by all.

‘What we will see, in our moments of quiet solitude and in the minutes before we sleep at night and when we wake in the morning, are the dreadful images and scenes of Danny being attacked and, when defenceless, being punched, kicked and stamped to death.

‘We will recall the vivid testimonies of the witnesses and their accounts of the noises that they heard on that fateful night.’

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