Thornaby man killed friend with drunken push on night out
A man who killed his friend with a drunken push on a night out has been jailed for five years.Thomas Tierney, 54, fatally struck his head on the pavement after being shoved by Rhyan Cooper, 29, during an argument in Stockton in September 2023, Teesside Crown Court.Mr Tierney's sister said he was a "kind and caring soul who wouldn't hurt a fly", adding his family were devastated by his "incomprehensible" death.Cooper had claimed he was acting in self-defence but was found guilty of manslaughter.
Cooper and Mr Tierney had been out for a meal together in Thornaby before going for a drink at the Blue Post in Stockton at about 23:40 BST on 1 September 2023, prosecutor Michael Bunch said.Mr Tierney bought drinks for them but Cooper, of Havilland Road in Thornaby, had wanted to leave and go home, with an argument then breaking out, the court heard.
Cooper, who had poured his drink away under the table, wanted Mr Tierney to leave with him so decided to "irritate" and "provoke" him by prodding him and putting his empty glass on his friend's head, Judge Jonathan Carroll said.It culminated with Mr Tierney pouring his drink over Cooper's head and the pair being removed by bouncers, the court heard.The judge said Cooper was "petulant" and "not getting [his] own way", ignored a warning to stop by the door staff and still "didn't let it go" after they had been thrown out.Mr Tierney walked down an alleyway into the High Street followed by Cooper, who then used two hands to push his friend in the chest.Mr Tierney struck his head on the ground and fractured his skull, dying in hospital on 5 September, the court heard.Cooper told police and the jury he had acted in self-defence but his claim was rejected.
In a statement read to the court, Mr Tierney's sister said he was a "very gentle man who quietly lived his life" before it was brought to "an abrupt end" by someone who was "supposed to be his friend".She said her brother had "always been a kind and caring soul who wouldn't hurt a fly", adding he "looked out for others and was always a source of comfort".Mr Tierney's sister said she could not describe the anguish and devastation his death had caused or the "mammoth void" he had left in their lives.She said the family's hearts had been broken by an "incomprehensible" act but they took some comfort knowing Mr Tierney "was able to continue his care of others" through the donation of his organs to people "in need"."Life will never be the same without our gentle, loving brother," she said.
In mitigation, the court heard Mr Tierney had been Cooper's "most important" friend and he found the death "almost impossible to deal with".Cooper, who had a previous conviction for assaulting his father in 2017, had not drunk a drop of alcohol since Mr Tierney's death, the court heard.Judge Carroll said both men were drunk and Mr Tierney was in "no fit state" to try and break his fall after being pushed backwards.He said it should have been an "obvious risk" to Cooper that Mr Tierney could be seriously injured, adding such a scenario had happened "time and again" outside pubs when people had been drinking.The judge said he accepted Cooper was "genuinely sorry" and "wished he could turn the clock back", but added Mr Tierney's family "wished that even more".
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