Man guilty of Blackburn murder
11:20am Thursday 11th March 2010 in
A 20-YEAR-old murderer starting a life sentence went off the rails after being rejected by the Army, a court was told.
Matthew McKay was yesterday told he will spend a minimum of 18 years in jail for killing John Crabtree on a canal towpath in Blackburn.
McKay's defence barrister Dennis Watson QC said his client became a 'directionless, rudderless young man' after his dream on joining the army was dashed on medical grounds.
Mr Watson said the former Darwen Vale High School pupil was from a 'thoroughly decent and respectable family' with a strong work ethnic.
By the time he murdered Mr Crabtree, 40, on the canal tow path near the Moorings pub, Bolton Road, McKay had left the family home due to his cannabis use, and was living at the Nightsafe shelter.
Mr Watson said McKay's dream of being a serviceman hit an initial set back when he was knocked off his scooter, preventing him from joining straight away.
He was then diagnosed as having a hairline fracture of the spine.
Bosses told him he would not be able to carry the weights required of infantrymen.
Mr Watson said: "That was a severe blow to his ambition that just took the wind out of his sails completely.
"It seem to he became something of a directionless, rudderless young man, in terms of having no focus at all.
"He had lost the goal he had in mind for his adolescent years and he didn't know where he was heading.”
McKay launched an unprovoked attack on Mr Crabtree after asking him for a cigarette.
He punched, kicked then stamped on Mr Crabtree's head.
Judge Stuart Baker told McKay: "You took pride and pleasure in committing what I can only regard as a brutal and prolonged assault on him.
”John Crabtree was minding his own business and doing no harm to you or anybody. You held hostile views towards him, based upon some supposed misbehaviour by him.”
After the case, Acting Detective Chief Inspector Des Coop who led the investigation, said: “I am very pleased with the sentence passed today, it takes account of how violent and sustained the assault was.
"It was a completely unprovoked attack on a vulnerable individual who did not pose a threat to anyone.
"McKay left his victim for dead and has shown absolutely no remorse.
“This has been a difficult investigation and I am very grateful for the assistance of the witnesses who came forward and helped outline what had gone on. Without this assistance we would not have achieved the positive outcome that we have today.
"My thoughts today are with John’s sister Debbie and her family.”
Comments(19)
workaholic
says...
5:24pm Wed 10 Mar 10
Stone Island
says...
5:37pm Wed 10 Mar 10
nevad
says...
12:57pm Thu 11 Mar 10
Hope the victims family find some peace.
excaliber
says...
1:25pm Thu 11 Mar 10
stevo1245
says...
1:39pm Thu 11 Mar 10
person++++
says...
3:05pm Thu 11 Mar 10
excaliber
says...
5:05pm Thu 11 Mar 10
excaliber wrote:... on the very same spot on the towpath, I might add.
My mate knew the victim, he was a completely harmless individual. He had also been given a good hiding on previous occasion by .... not allowed to say though am I?
NICEONESUNSHINE
says...
5:47pm Thu 11 Mar 10
stevo1245 wrote:What are you on? Do you really think that by "simply telling the truth'' after kicking the life out of an innocent human being make you innocent??
This man is innocent!!!! He didnt blame anyone else he simpley told the truth!!! FREE MATT MCKAY
.
You ought to be ashamed of yourself .....Simpleton
NICEONESUNSHINE
says...
5:54pm Thu 11 Mar 10
person++++ wrote:I really don't believe that we, as a society, produce scumbags like this.
having read this article, mat was just as much a victim as john. sentence was as extreme as the violence used. 6 months would have been enough.
.
He's Probably been listening to too much "gangsta" or playing violent video games and believes that "life is cheap".
.
I wonder how he'd feel if it was his relative or friend?
Tosh67
says...
7:51pm Thu 11 Mar 10
Matthew McKay was yesterday told he will spend a minimum of 18 years in jail for killing John Crabtree on a canal towpath in Blackburn.
Errrm life sentence = 18 years in jail, wow life sentence = 18 years of luxury?
as for the lunatics on here saying this murdering tw*t was a victim - you should crawl back underneath the dog turd you hatched from. tosser
lil1985
says...
8:54pm Thu 11 Mar 10
Tosh67
says...
9:05pm Thu 11 Mar 10
NICEONESUNSHINE wrote:w'anchor
stevo1245 wrote: This man is innocent!!!! He didnt blame anyone else he simpley told the truth!!! FREE MATT MCKAYWhat are you on? Do you really think that by "simply telling the truth'' after kicking the life out of an innocent human being make you innocent?? . You ought to be ashamed of yourself .....Simpleton
voxpopuli
says...
9:47am Fri 12 Mar 10
ste.g
says...
6:45pm Fri 12 Mar 10
18 years will come and go,eventually he will have to meet his maker.i wonder what excuse he will use then?
s1t2e3
says...
1:48am Sat 13 Mar 10
FREE MATTHEW MCKAY.
stig1212
says...
10:46am Tue 16 Mar 10
s1t2e3 wrote:get a grip free matthew mckay he should never be let out you idiot how would you feel if it was your son who had been murdered.
this is for all you people who haven't got a clue. murder!! i think the word injustice is better. matt is innocent, all he was charged on was a dodgy witness statement from a pair of pissheads. why wasnt the incident from the night before brought into account when mr crabtree was brutally assaulted by someone who i cant mention for obvious reasons. its a load of ****, an innocent man has to serve life in prison all because our police force are useless, incapable pigs. all they wanted was someone to blame so there figures would look good. an innocent man has been destroyed by this. FREE MATTHEW MCKAY.
s1t2e3
says...
6:19pm Tue 16 Mar 10
stig1212 wrote:if my son had been murdered id want jstice by locking up the criminal nt an innocent person, people believe 2 much wt they read in the papers, the lancashire police force all need replacing with decent people who want justice nt figures 4 their records.
s1t2e3 wrote: this is for all you people who haven't got a clue. murder!! i think the word injustice is better. matt is innocent, all he was charged on was a dodgy witness statement from a pair of pissheads. why wasnt the incident from the night before brought into account when mr crabtree was brutally assaulted by someone who i cant mention for obvious reasons. its a load of ****, an innocent man has to serve life in prison all because our police force are useless, incapable pigs. all they wanted was someone to blame so there figures would look good. an innocent man has been destroyed by this. FREE MATTHEW MCKAY.get a grip free matthew mckay he should never be let out you idiot how would you feel if it was your son who had been murdered.
Lee West
says...
12:58am Sat 3 Apr 10
The point I am making is that stig1212 is in fact right to state that you should not believe everything you see or hear in the media! You see I am dismayed by the judiciary that ten months later after the murder took place, I now find myself instigating a formal complaint against the detective. You see, I was followed by this person who unknown to me would kill someone 35 minutes after I got away from him! This has left me officialy diagnosed with psycological trauma! But the QC Judge and the CPS were not advised all the facts of that morning! In fact the detective co-ersed me to state something in my statement that was not factual!
What I have learnt is not to trust the police! They are only interested in getting results for themselves and not for the likes of you and me.
However, I am now waiting for the IPCC to begin my investigation.
Just for the record! The QC who made a summery in the murder trial stated that the killer was determined at all cost to rob someone and he was an extreme danger to the public-
So how come I am still here? Because quite literally the judge passes his comments based on information presented to him by the police and the CPS only! Not the full facts that are by ALL witnesses!
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pez63 says...
5:20pm Wed 10 Mar 10