Cody Fisher: Two men jailed for life for murdering footballer in Birmingham nightclub dancefloor stabbing
Two men have been jailed for life after murdering a semi-professional footballer on a nightclub dancefloor in Birmingham.
Remy Gordon and Kami Carpenter fatally stabbed Cody Fisher on Boxing Day in 2022 after a minor altercation two days earlier.
Gordon will serve a minimum of 26 years, while Carpenter will spend at least 25 years behind bars.
During the trial, jurors were told that Mr Fisher had made brief and “unavoidable” contact with Mr Gordon’s back as he left a club in Solihull on Christmas Eve.
The 23-year-old – who played for Stratford Town and Bromsgrove Sporting – was stabbed in the chest at the Crane nightclub in Digbeth and died at the scene from a chest wound.
Cody Fisher was fatally stabbed on Boxing Day in 2022 after a minor altercation two days earlier. Pic: Bromsgrove Sporting FC
He was attacked with a weapon that had been smuggled through security, in what was described as a pre-planned “act of retribution” after the previous minor incident at a Popworld nightclub in Solihull.
Gordon and Carpenter, who had denied the charges against them, had blamed each other for the fatal stabbing and were convicted last month.
Judge Paul Farrer KC said today that Gordon believed he had been “disrespected”, which led to the incident on Boxing Day.
He added that a group of three to four people – including Gordon and Carpenter – surrounded Mr Fisher at the Crane club.
The judge then said the attack “lasted no more than 37 seconds,” and involved punches “including a blow to the face of sufficient force to fracture the back of Mr Fisher’s jaw, on both sides”.
“In short, this was a sustained attack on a man who was significantly outnumbered and stood little or no chance of defending himself,” he said.
The 23-year-old – who played for Stratford Town and Bromsgrove Sporting – was stabbed in the chest at the Crane nightclub in Digbeth
Prosecutor Michael Duck KC previously told the court: “Cody Fisher it seems did little more than touch Remy Gordon’s back. Remy Gordon was looking for an argument with somebody.”
Mr Duck also said Gordon was later captured on CCTV in a pizza takeaway restaurant “re-enacting the attack… and laughing while he did so,” and said that Gordon and Carpenter sought to evade arrest.
In a victim impact statement, Cody’s mother Tracey said his family’s “life sentences” started on the day he was killed, which she described as the “most heartbreaking day in all of our lives”.
She described her son as “brave, fearless and the most genuine soul” she knew.
Read more from Sky News:
‘Evil monster’ cut his wife’s body into 224 pieces
Father and son mutilated men with blowtorch
‘Never any forgiveness’
Addressing Gordon and Carpenter, she said there can “never be any forgiveness for what they have done to us”, saying: “It is as though I too was stabbed straight through the heart.
“I have seen myself go from the happiest outgoing person, to fighting the hell out of just getting through each and every horrendous, never ending, day, in the abhorrent knowledge that my youngest son, my best friend, is never coming home to sleep in his bedroom, the room that I still cannot enter even to this day.”
Jessica Chatwin, who was Mr Fisher’s girlfriend, told the court the 23-year-old died in her arms and added: “My life stopped that day, I live each day with enormous pain, loneliness and sadness.
“I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with Cody. Now I have to face the world without his love and guidance, something he always showed me while we were together.
“He was my strength in every situation and now I have to face it all alone.”
Police outside the Crane nightclub in Digbeth. Pic: PA
‘Our grief will go on’
Speaking outside the court, Tracey said that “the sentence passed is somewhat a blessing that they are no longer on streets, and can hopefully go somewhat to try and eradicate this awful epidemic that is ruining so many lives”.
She added: “For us as a family, Cody will still not come home and we will forever live in the shadow of his senseless murder.
“I know that our grief will go on and we will continue with our life sentence, missing our child each and every day.”
Fellow defendant Reegan Anderson, 19, of no fixed address, was found not guilty of murder and not guilty of an alternative charge of manslaughter.
He was found guilty of affray and was bailed until a sentencing hearing after Easter.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The Crane nightclub has since been permanently shut down after West Midlands Police said the venue posed “terrifying risks” to the public, with “blatant” drug use and “inadequate” security.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
Read more from Sky News:
Survivor reflects on five years on from COVID
At least 12 people injured in shooting in Toronto
By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports11 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway