WEST BELFAST Christopher Meli was kicked "like a punch bag" around 50 times by a crowd and tried to cover himself with his arms during a fatal beating, a court heard yesterday.
The details surrounding the death of the 20-year old father-of-one emerged at Belfast Crown Court, where eight young people appeared for offences arising from a number of violent incidents that occurred in the early hours of December 12, 2015.
Whilst two men - Lee Smyth (22) and Caolan Laverty - have admitted a charge of manslaughter, other co-accused pleaded guilty to assaulting two of Mr Meli's friends, and of fighting and causing an affray.
All eight were informed that they will be sentenced on a range of offences in January.
In a complex hearing which lasted several hours, Mr Meli's loved ones sat in the public gallery as they heard how he was beaten by up to 15 people in an area known as Doc's Path in Twinbrook.
He died at the scene, and a post mortem concluded that death was due to an upper airways obstruction and inhalation of blood caused by facial injuries as a result of blows to the head which caused bleeding in his nose and mouth.
Prosecuting barrister Neil Connor QC set out the Crown's case to a packed court, and said there were a number of altercations that occurred in the area that night.
Mr Meli had spent the evening of Saturday December 11 drinking with friends, and just after midnight the group of four went to get more drink.
This group came across another two young men and a woman in the Doc's Path area, and a fight broke out but ended quickly.
A short time later, a second incident occurred at a takeaway at Laurel Glen, where the owner reported three men kick a fourth to the floor.
This male, the Crown say, was 21-year old Daniel McGrath and what happened in the aftermath of this incident was "revenge for that attack".
McGrath, from Thornhill Crescent in Dunmurry, contacted his friends, who waited as Mr Meli and his group returned before launching their attack.
Mr Meli was knocked to the ground and the crowd then surrounded him and repeatedly kicked him.
A witness saw Smyth - currently housed at HMP Maghaberry and who was leading the attack - kick Mr Meli at least four times, while another witness saw Smyth punch the prone victim 'three or four times in the face.'
It's the Crown case that a few moments later Laverty, from Belfast Road in Glenavy, kicked him once to the right side of the chest before leaving the scene.
Around the same time two of Mr Meli's friends - Ryan Morris and Stephen Woods - were chased and attacked.
At this point some people in the area placed Mr Meli on his side and the injured man made a gasping noise. A 999 call was made, and two women came out of their houses and put a blanket over Mr Meli, who did not appear to be breathing or have a pulse.
Laverty, Smyth and Stephen McCann (22), from Dundrinne Road in Castlewellan, all handed themselves into police on December 12.
Gary Lewis (21) from Antrim Road, Shannon McIlwaine (21) from Glenalina Crescent, and 20-year-old Daniel McManus from Springbank Drive in Dunmurry also attended at a police station the same day, while Aaron Stilges (22) from Laurelvale in Crumlin and Daniel McGrath (21) from Thornhill Crescent in Dunmurry went to police on December 13.
All eight defendants were interviewed about their involvement in the events of December 12.
McCann told police that he tried to break up the attack but fell and was dragged away.
He told police Mr Meli 'looked frightened and tried to cover himself with his arms but the crowd kicked him like a punch bag all over his body 50 times or more.'
McCann subsequently pleaded guilty to fighting and causing affray, as did Shannon McIlwaine and Daniel McManus, while Aaron Stilges admitted being part of the affray and attack on Mr Meli's two friends.
Defendants Laverty, Smyth and Stiles admitted attacking Steven Woods, whilst Smyth and Lewis admitted attacking Mr Morris.
Barristers for all eight defendants asked Mr Justice Colton to take into consideration the very young ages of all involved at the time.
The judge set a date of Friday January 10 for sentencing.
