Girl tried to save dying father

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The daughter of a man allegedly kicked to death by a gang of youths outside their home desperately tried to save her father's life, a court heard.

Danielle Newlove, 15, put father Garry in the recovery position as he lay bleeding on Station Road, Warrington, Cheshire, on 10 August.

But Miss Newlove said she could see "he was half-way dead" as she helped give him CPR after the attack.

Five teenagers, at Chester Crown Court, deny the murder of the 47-year-old.

Mr Newlove sustained massive head injuries and never regained consciousness, dying at Warrington Hospital two days after the attack.

He had a trainer print on his forehead, it was quite clearly a foot mark of a trainer or a boot Helen Newlove

In a police video played in court, Miss Newlove said she followed her father outside after he confronted the youths.

She said: "I saw he was half-way dead. He was on his side. I checked him and there was a lot of blood. All around his head was covered in blood."

Tracey Cassidy, a neighbour, helped give CPR to the sales manager and described how she saw the gang surround the dying man like a "pack of animals".

Miss Cassidy said one of the youths ran up to her neighbour and punched him in the face with "full-force".

"As the first one punched him another lad jumped and punched Mr Newlove again, it was another hard punch," she told the court.

Mr Swellings pleaded guilty to manslaughter but this was rejected

The jury also heard from Mr Newlove's wife, Helen, who described how she saw a trainer mark left on his forehead in the aftermath of the attack.

The 44-year-old secretary said she "felt sick" when she saw her husband lying on the ground outside their house in Fearnhead.

In a statement read out to the jury she explained that she ran outside to see the aftermath of the attack and went to comfort her husband.

She said: "He (Garry) had a scratch on his arms and a neck collar. I told him I loved him.

"He had a trainer print on his forehead, it was quite clearly a foot mark of a trainer or a boot.

"I could clearly see he had been kicked in the head."

'Husband's fears'

The court heard the Newlove family moved to Warrington in 2004, but Mr Newlove had concerns about a subway near their home.

Within months his fears were confirmed as the under pass proving a magnet for gangs that were noisy, drank alcohol and vandalised residents' cars, the jury heard.

The family's own cars were vandalised on four occasions.

He had had enough and I was worried - not because I was concerned he would hurt someone, he would never hurt anybody Helen Newlove

Mrs Newlove said: "Concrete slabs were smashed, the lights were smashed too, they would destroy anything they could get their hands on."

As the problems increased Mr Newlove would not allow the couple's daughters Zoe, 18, Danielle, 15, and Amy, 12, to walk to the local shops because of gangs, Mrs Newlove said.

She added: "He had had enough and I was worried - not because I was concerned he would hurt someone, he would never hurt anybody."

Four boys, two aged 17, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and Adam Swellings, 19, of Crewe, Cheshire, are accused of murder.

Mr Swellings pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but this was rejected by the prosecution.