Man jailed for 'revenge' murder after pub fight

A man who chased down and stabbed a 40-year-old father of three to death for "revenge" after a fight in a pub has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years.

Brandon Byrne, 23, of Winston Court, Newark, Nottinghamshire, stabbed James Cook on 1 May 2025 on Castlegate, Newark. When confronted about the killing, police bodyworn video showed him ask officers "did he die?"

He was found guilty of murder at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, after jurors were told the pair had got into an argument in the Loose Cannon pub in Newark.

Adele Cook, James's wife, told Byrne he "destroyed an entire family and left my three daughters in a constant state of fear and grief".

During the trial, jurors were told Cook and his brother were drinking in pubs around Newark before heading to the Loose Cannon shortly after 22:30 BST.

During the night, Cook was told to get off a pool table by a member of staff and when Byrne got involved, he was headbutted and bitten on the face.

The pair were separated and left the premises through different exits, however Byrne then went looking for Cook.

Byrne, who was already carrying a knife, was seen on CCTV footage pulling out a knife and walking towards the front of the pub, where Cook had just left with his group, Nottinghamshire Police said.

Having caught up with Cook, the offender stabbed him, before kicking him in the head.

He then stabbed him again as he lay injured on the ground.

Cook was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after midnight.

Speaking during her victim impact statement, Adele said: "I have struggled to put into words the sense of devastation of this cowardly and senseless act.

"My Cookie was always by my side to pick me up... James will never be able to walk our daughters down the aisle, he will never be a grandfather for our girls."

Turning to Byrne, who was sitting slumped over in the dock, she added: "You destroyed an entire family and left my three daughters in a constant state of fear and grief.

"No sentence long enough would account for what you have done and for what we have lost."

Sentencing on Friday, Judge Steven Coupland said Cook was "defenceless on the ground" when Byrne stabbed him for the second time.

"I am satisfied you had become angry and you were looking for revenge," he said.

"You chased him a long way. You had plenty of time to decide what to do or to think better of it.

"I accept that you are remorseful that James Cook is dead.

"But that remorse is tempered by the fact that you chose to deny the offence and have a trial."

After the hearing, Det Con Kimberley Priestley, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "It's been almost a year to the day since Brandon Byrne turned the lives of James Cook's family upside down.

"They've been put through hell since he produced a knife and callously murdered their loved one with it that night on 30 April last year.

"That senseless decision came only minutes after the two men had a fight in a Newark pub, which resulted in Byrne sustaining a facial injury.

"Byrne was clearly enraged by this and refused to let it go, instead deciding to hunt Mr Cook down and stab him to death in the street.

"While the outcome of this trial and the sentencing that has now been passed will never bring Mr Cook back, our hope is that it will help his family as they continue to grieve."

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