Michael Phillips murder: What did Lee Darby, Neil Elliott and Anthony Small do on the night victim was killed?

Mr Phillips died at his home address in the town’s Rydal Street on Monday, June 10 last year, despite the efforts of paramedics who came to his aid in the wake of a savage beating.

Lee Darby, 32, of Ridley Court, Hartlepool, was found guilty of murder on Tuesday, March 3 following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.

Neil Elliott, of Briarfields Close, and Anthony Small, of Rydal Street, were convicted of manslaughter but cleared of murder.

Jurors deliberated for around two-and-a-half days over their verdicts after hearing evidence for around six weeks.

The three men will be sentenced on Wednesday, March 4, with the hearing expected to begin at 2pm.

As the men prepare to learn their fate, we take a look at the prosecution’s case of what happened on the night Mr Phillips was killed.

Four other Hartlepool men – Gary Jackson, 31, of The Darlings in Hart Village; Sean Musgrave, 30, of Wordsworth Avenue; John Musgrave, 54, of Wordsworth Avenue and Craig Thorpe, 36, of Young Street – were found not guilty of both murder and manslaughter at the same trial.

Lee Darby

Prosecutors alleged that Darby was “a person who would break bones” and someone people spoke to if they needed “someone sorted” in Hartlepool.

In a timeline of the events which led to Mr Phillips’ death, jurors were told that Darby and co-accused Elliott made contact via Facebook after the latter posted a chilling warning to whoever had burgled his daughter’s house.

This happened the night before Mr Phillips was killed.

Witness Lee Hardwell gave evidence that Darby, along with Elliott and Small, were in the Rydal Street property while the attack on Mr Phillips took place.

Darby, also known by the nickname “Dibsy”, did not enter the witness box to give evidence in his own defence, but had previously admitted being in the living room of Mr Phillips’ house.

Prior to the trial’s start, Darby also admitted possession of a prohibited weapon – a stun gun.

This information was revealed following the verdicts on Tuesday.

Darby was sentenced to life with minimum of 23 years in custody.

Neil Elliott

Elliott, 44, was painted by prosecutors as the “sergeant major” of an operation which resulted in the death of Mr Phillips.

The trial heard that Elliott recruited a number of “foot soldiers” to carry out so-called mob justice after thinking that police would not properly investigate the burglary at his daughter’s home.

So followed a day of action which resulted in Elliott’s car being captured on CCTV outside the Premier convenience store in Cornwall Street, Hartlepool.

Lee Darby was seen in the footage exiting the vehicle and asking members of the public in the shop if they recognised anyone on footage he showed on a laptop.

This then led them to Rydal Street. Elliott’s vehicle was parked on nearby Keswick Street.

Elliott was also convicted of assault occasioning bodily harm at the end of the trial.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter and six-month in prison, to serve concurrently, for the assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Anthony Small

Jurors heard that Small, 40, was the person who knocked on the door of the property where Mr Phillips lived, enabling others to “barge in” and carry out the attack which would claim his life.

He met the defendants on Rydal Street on the night of Monday, June 10 and agreed to carry out the knock – but insisted he did not know that violence would ensue.

Nicholas Lumley, defending Small, told the court that his client was friends with the victim and that all he did was "knock on some doors”

Giving evidence, Small said: “Don't you think I feel guilty I ran away like a coward and my friend died?

"I blame myself for knocking on the door.”

Mr Justice Jacobs has sentenced Small to 12 years in prison and said he will serve half in custody and the rest on licence.