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Who killed my precious daddy?

Adam Derbyshire
17/12/2003

WHY did someone kill my daddy?

That's the heartbreaking question 11-year-old Katy Duckworth still seeks the answer to after an inquest into her father's tragic death.

Paul Duckworth, 41, was punched and kicked to death after he became embroiled in a drunken dispute in the heart of Ashton's clubland in the early hours of 1 March, 2002.

The argument outside Universal nightclub quickly spiralled into violence. A fight broke out and although fellow revellers tried to stop the scuffle, it soon became an all-out brawl in the street.

One witness said Mr Duckworth's attackers were using his head "like a football".

The Denton dad was taken to Tameside Hospital but died hours later from a severe brain haemorrhage.

Now his daughter has asked to meet those accused and later acquitted of his murder in a bid to find out for more about the events leading up to his death.

Katy's uncle, Mark Gwillian, of Hyde, said: "She is still devastated and has been struggling at school. None of us have come to terms with the senselessness of the attack yet. Losing her dad has left a big hole in her life.

"She wants to speak to the people who were there on the night. But whether they will agree to meet her is a different matter.

Jason Cook, 27, of Shakespeare Road, Droylsden, and Scott Boardman, 32, of Lancaster Road, Droylsden, were charged with murder after the incident. The charges were later reduced to manslaughter and violent disorder, but both were acquitted last February due to lack of evidence.

Recording a verdict of unlawful killing, Tameside coroner John Pollard last week likened Ashton's volatile nightlife to the "Wild West". He said it was appalling that people in Britain could allow their behaviour to slip to such a level they could drunkenly beat and kick someone to death.

Mr Gwillian added: "The verdict was right, but there's no closure for us when the people responsible are still walking the streets."