Man 'went off his head' and killed own granddad after watching Everton lose to Man City together

Drug addict Ryan Cullen, 35, has been jailed after he viciously attacked his pensioner grandfather while watching the football because he refused to give him money for cocaine

An Everton supporter who was "off his head" battered his grandad to death after watching the football together.

Ryan Cullen launched a savage attack on his 73-year-old grandfather Brian Cullen after watching the Toffees' 2-0 away defeat to Manchester City on television. The pensioner died two weeks later as a result of injuries sustained when he was subjected to a brutal assault in his own bed.

It came after the killer became afflicted by mental health issues and drug use following the breakdown of his marriage. On Friday, Liverpool Crown Court heard how Ryan Cullen attacked his victim at his home in Midghall Street in the city centre on February 10.

Brian Cullen later spent six days in hospital before being discharged and "did not want to make a complaint about his grandson" to the police, the Echo reports. David McLachlan KC, prosecuting, detailed how the pensioner was subsequently readmitted as an inpatient when his health deteriorated and he never came back out, dying on February 24.

A post-mortem investigation later revealed a cause of death of "blunt chest trauma with sepsis". The court was told that the defendant, of no fixed address, became divorced from his wife around five years previously and since "had significant issues" with cocaine. His nan, Anne Cullen, twice paid for him to enter rehab, however "on each occasion he relapsed and went back to drugs".

She described how "using cocaine would change her grandson as a person". The 35-year-old had stayed overnight at his grandparents' address on the evening before the assault, with "the mood in the house being good" at this time.

Mrs Cullen then left the property at roughly 2.30pm on February, returning just shy of three hours later to find that Mr Cullen had sustained injuries to his chest, face and the back of his head. He told her that he had suffered a fall, but "looked towards his grandson so as to indicate it was in fact him who had caused the injuries".

On inspection, there was damage to her husband's mobile, a fan in the kitchen, TV aerial and thermostat. Brian Cullen's daughter arrived at the property to find her dad slumped over the bed with a large amount of blood on the headboard.

Mr McLachlan added: "Brian Cullen was moved from the bed to a chair in the living room as they waited for the ambulance to arrive. The scene was one of complete and utter chaos as family members were in hysterics and screaming. When Brian Cullen was on the chair, he was groaning in pain. Mandy Cullen lifted up his shirt and looked for other injuries. She saw that some of his ribs were sticking out."

Mr Cullen, who declined to be provide a statement to the police or be seen by paramedics, told officers who attended the incident that he had been struck to the side of the head by his grandson and said: "He's been taking that f***ing stuff. Hasn’t he?"

He stated that Cullen had been "acting weird all day" and "pacing up and down the hallway". At one stage, he was said to have entered the bedroom and punched him twice to the face without warning.

Mr Cullen sustained six broken ribs and a collapsed left lung. His attacker was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage at the same hospital shortly after 9am on February 11 while waiting to be seen by the mental health team. PCs visited Mr Cullen in his hospital bed later the same day and found him with "clear facial injuries". After being informed of Cullen's arrest, the grandad said: "He is mental. He takes that stuff, that white powder stuff. He went off his head.

"We had the match on. He’s an Everton supporter. He wasn’t interested in the match and was messing with his phone. I went in the room. He was off his head on that stuff he takes. He banged me head on the headboard and hit me in the face."

Cullen, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, was meanwhile been admitted to Hollins Park Hospital and told a nurse on February 13 that "his grandad wouldn't give him money for drugs" and that he "gave him a few punches to the ribs and his head". He added that "he thought that he had cut his head open" and that he "kept punching him".

Mr Cullen was discharged three days later, but returned the following day when a CT scan found he had suffered a bleed on the brain and suspected sepsis. His condition deteriorated, and he was pronounced dead in hospital at 1.35am on February 24. This led to his grandson being detained late that day on suspicion of murder. He responded by asking the police officers "is it my grandad?" and then became upset.

Under interview, the killer said he had "just lost it, sort of like a split second". Cullen added that "he had been on a bit of a bender and that his grandad had knocked on saying that Everton were kicking off".

He recalled that he then took a bag of cocaine out, at which his grandad reportedly said he would call the police. The complainant allegedly "went for him" after he responded by taking his phone from him, at which time he "retaliated and punched him and he fell down".

Pathologist Dr Matt Lyall said if Brian Cullen was younger, the injuries would have required greater force, but because of his age his bones would be more delicate. Cullen has previous convictions dating back to 2019, including an offence of harassment in 2020 and subsequently being jailed for 26 weeks for assaulting an emergency services worker.

Martin Reid KC, defending, said on his behalf: "Ryan Cullen has demonstrated genuine and continuing remorse for what he has done even from the date of his arrest, given his own words and behaviour. We submit that his contrition was immediate and genuine. It is a notable feature of this case that both of his grandparents were very protective of him, raising him and making great efforts to assist him in the difficulties he has faced in recent years.

"Mr Cullen recognises in his letter to your honour the effect that substance abuse has had on him and his behaviour, and he is motivated to address it. We accept that his previous convictions are an aggravating feature. Their timing is consistent with a deterioration in his mental health following the break up of his marriage."

Cullen admitted manslaughter, with a count of further murder having previously been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. Appearing handcuffed in the dock for part of the hearing and wearing a black Adidas t-shirt under a black zip-up top, he was handed a five-year section 45a hybrid order this afternoon. This will see him treated in a psychiatric hospital, having been detained in Rowan View Hospital for the past nine months, before he is deemed suitable to be moved to a prison. Cullen will then serve the remainder of his sentence behind bars, becoming eligible for release on licence after serving half of the term.

Sentencing, Judge Brian Cummings KC said: "You have previous convictions for violence. It is true that none of them approaches the seriousness of the present offence. Nonetheless, this is by no means the first time you have assaulted someone. Your victim was particularly vulnerable by reason of age and infirmity. He was a small, slightly built, elderly man who was not in the best of health. You, by contrast, are much younger. You are a much taller, stronger and more robust individual.

"I accept entirely that the attack was not premeditated. I accept that you have shown and continue to experience, and will always experience, genuine remorse for killing your grandfather. I accept that you have made genuine efforts to seek help to overcome your addiction. Although your mental health is an important topic for the court to take into account, it is not suggested that that provides you with any mitigation for the actual commission of the offence in this case.

"By your own admission and despite knowing the consequences cocaine had on you, you continued taking it. Ultimately, that is your responsibility. I do understand that there is a background. I have not lost sight of your own experiences in childhood. Ultimately, you committed this offence under the influence of drugs. You are the person who chose to take the drugs."