Andrew Crawford

Andrew Crawford died after he was punched after a Motorhead gig at the O2 Academy in Leeds on 25 November 2010.

He and his cousin were involved in a fight outside the concert hall and although the other men were questioned by the police, it could not be determined who threw the punch that killed him. They both admitted throwing punches in the brawl.

The Coroner said that the Crown Prosecution Service had considered the incident 'significantly unclear' and had felt that there was an unrealistic possibility that any prosecution could be reached because it was unclear who punched who or whether anyone had been acting in self-defence.

The pathologist said that Andrew Crawford's cause of death was due to blunt force trauma to the head which he considered had been caused by an assault.

Andrew Crawford had suffered from severe injuries after he hit the back of his head on some metal railings and fell and hit the pavement. He also had a broken nose and two black eyes.

Andrew Crawford and his cousin had both been left unconscious on the ground and were later taken to Leeds General Infirmary. Whilst the friend recovered from a bruised jaw, Andrew Crawford died the following day 26 November 2010.

It was heard that the row had started after Andrew Crawford and his friend confronted two other men after alleging that one of them had set one of their friends’ hair on fire at the gig.

It was heard that the two other men were the aggressors in the row but they claimed that it was Andrew Crawford and his friend that had thrown the first punch.

After the fight and upon hearing of Andrew Crawford's death, the men gave himself up to the police and one said during an interview, 'They threw the first punch, so I retaliated'. He also admitted to hitting one of the men whilst they were on the floor and then hitting them again when they got up.

The man admitted that his friend had been 'extremely intoxicated' and aggressive and said that he had simply been acting as a peacemaker although he did admit to punching one of the men whilst they were on the floor until, 'they ceased fighting'.

Andrew Crawford's cousin said that he and Andrew Crawford were very close and like brothers, said that he could remember throwing a punch but did not know whether it connected and said that he could not remember being hit.

The fight left both Andrew Crawford and his friend unconscious on the ground resulting in them both being taken to the hospital.

His inquest in August 2011 recorded a verdict of 'unlawful killing but in the circumstances where the perpetrator cannot be disclosed from the evidence'.

The Coroner added, 'This was a terribly serious incident and someone lost their life and there is to be no legal redress at all', noting that Andrew Crawford's family, who were not at the inquest, would be upset that there would be no prosecution.

Andrew Crawford had lived in Wesley View, Pudsey.