Family jailed for murder of ‘mooner’

A SINGLE mother and her family were jailed yesterday for the savage murder of a father who was brutally attacked with baseball bats and a samurai sword for “mooning” at her outside a pub.

Diane Churchley summoned her sons and nephews to teach Alan Riddock, 41, a lesson after he flashed his bottom during an argument outside the Park House pub opposite her home in St John’s Lane, in Bristol, England.

She watched as the balaclava-clad gang attacked Riddock while his family looked on from the pub.

Churchley, 50, then ushered her 19-year-old son Liam into the house and ordered him to take a shower while she washed his clothes and a baseball bat.

A jury at Bristol Crown Court yesterday returned majority guilty verdicts for murder on John, 23, and two cousins, brothers Jason, 39, and Craig Hartrey, 36.

Diane was found guilty of Riddock’s murder on May 24 last year as well as assisting an offender.

Liam was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter.

All five defendants were found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to Jonathan Stephens, a friend of Riddock who tried to come to his aid. Diane, who also has two younger children, one aged 11, was ordered to spend a minimum 16 years behind bars, and given four years for assisting an offender and 10 years for GBH, to run concurrent to her life sentence.

John was jailed for a minimum of 18-and-a-half years while Jason was given a minimum term of 17 years and Craig handed an 18 year minimum. All three men were given 10 years concurrent for grievous bodily harm (GBH). Liam Churchley was sentenced to 11 years in a young offenders institute for manslaughter and a concurrent nine years for GBH.