An Everton fan, who was “off his head”, brutally attacked his grandad to death after they watched a football match together.
Ryan Cullen launched a savage assault on his 73 year old grandfather Brian Cullen after watching Everton’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on TV. The elderly man died two weeks later due to injuries from the brutal attack in his own bed. This followed Ryan Cullen’s struggle with mental health issues and drug use after his marriage broke down.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday how Ryan Cullen attacked his victim at his home in Midghall Street in the city centre on February 10. Despite spending six days in hospital, Brian Cullen did not want to report his grandson to the police, according to the Echo.
Prosecutor David McLachlan KC explained that the pensioner was readmitted to hospital when his health worsened and he never left, dying on February 24. A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death as “blunt chest trauma with sepsis”.
The court heard that the defendant, who has no fixed address, divorced his wife about five years ago and has since had significant issues with cocaine. His grandmother, Anne Cullen, paid for him to enter rehab twice, but he relapsed and returned to drugs each time, reports the Mirror.
She recounted how “using cocaine would change her grandson as a person”. The 35 year old had spent the night at his grandparents’ home on the eve of the assault, with “the mood in the house being good” at this time.
Mrs Cullen left the property around 2.30pm in February, returning nearly three hours later to discover that Mr Cullen had injuries to his chest, face and back of his head. He claimed he had fallen, but “looked towards his grandson so as to indicate it was in fact him who had caused the injuries”.
Upon inspection, there was damage to her husband’s mobile, a kitchen fan, 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 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? “.
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The victim reported that Cullen had been “acting weird all day” and was “pacing up and down the hallway”. He claimed that at one point, Cullen entered his bedroom and punched him twice in the face without any warning.
The assault resulted in Mr Cullen suffering 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.
Police officers visited Mr Cullen in his hospital bed later the same day and found him with “clear facial injuries”. Upon learning of Cullen’s arrest, the grandfather commented: “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.”
Meanwhile, Cullen, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, was admitted to Hollins Park Hospital where he 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 released from the hospital three days later, but returned the next day after a CT scan revealed he had suffered a brain bleed and suspected sepsis. His health worsened, and he was declared dead in the hospital at 1.35am on February 24.
This led to his grandson being arrested later that day on suspicion of murder. When questioned by the police, he asked “is it my grandad? ” before becoming distressed.
During the interview, the killer admitted he had “just lost it, sort of like a split second”. He added that he had been on a drinking spree when his grandfather knocked on his door to tell him that Everton were about to start playing.
He remembered taking out a bag of cocaine, which prompted his grandfather to threaten to call the police. The complainant allegedly attacked him after he took his phone away, leading him to retaliate by punching him, causing him to fall.
Pathologist Dr Matt Lyall stated that if Brian Cullen had been younger, the injuries would have required more force, but due to his age, his bones were more fragile. Cullen has previous convictions dating back to 2019, including harassment in 2020 and a subsequent 26-week jail sentence for assaulting an emergency services worker.
Martin Reid KC, defending, spoke 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 after a charge of further murder was earlier dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. Clad in the dock wearing a black Adidas T-shirt beneath a zip-up top, while appearing handcuffed during part of the proceedings, he received a five-year section 45a hybrid order this afternoon, which involves initial treatment in a psychiatric hospital – where he’s been held at Rowan View Hospital for the last nine months – before transfer to prison when considered appropriate.
Once incarcerated, Cullen will serve out his term, with release on licence possible after completing half the sentence.
Judge Brian Cummings KC, during sentencing, remarked: “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.”
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