Student cleared of Liverpool city centre murder

May 1 2008 by Chloe Griffiths, Liverpool Daily Post

Sion hardy

A MANCHESTER United employee has told a jury he played no part in the death of a Liverpool University student.

Corporate match day host at Old Trafford and part-time model Kevin O’Dea was cleared of murdering Sion Hardy by the Recorder of Liverpool.

Judge Henry Globe QC told the jury at Liverpool Crown Court the evidence against O’Dea was “unsustainable” to convict him of murder.

But O’Dea, who is studying sports science at Liverpool John Moores University, is still charged with the manslaughter of civic design student Mr Hardy.

The 24-year-old was killed in Tunnage Square passageway outside Nation nightclub on November 15 last year.

The court has heard he had walked into the underpass at about 2.30am after a chance meeting with childhood friend from Bangor, North Wales, Stephen Lunn and his friend Osian Evans.

The trio were then “jumped” in an alleged revenge attack by O’Dea, 22, of Salford, Greater Manchester and his co-accused JMU student Simon Taylor, 20, of Wigan, who is still charged with both murder and manslaughter.

The pair and their friends Richard Faustino and Thomas Canning are accused of launching the assault against Mr Lunn, with Mr Hardy just an “innocent victim”.

He suffered a fatal blow to the head and died of a brain haemorrhage.

But yesterday O’Dea, originally of County Donegal in Ireland, told the jury he had only became aware of Mr Hardy’s death the next day.

Wearing a smart, grey suit, he admitted to swinging a punch at Mr Lunn and missing, but only in self-defence.

He told the jury he had only noticed Mr Hardy lying on the floor, but still moving, as he left the tunnel.

He said: “I was grateful to come out the tunnel unscathed and I was relieved at the time I was talking to the boys, it was a case of patting them on the back to see if they were OK.”

He added: “At the time I had no idea to what the extent of Sion Hardy’s injuries were.

“If I had known my actions might have been different.”

But Tania Griffiths QC, prosecuting, said to O’Dea: “You are not the easy-going charmer you are trying to display to the jury.

“You were a totally different concept on the night of the 14th weren’t you?

O’Dea admitted being “slightly annoyed” with Mr Lunn after a confrontation about 20 minutes earlier.

The case continues.