Ronald Gough

Ronald Gough died following a row at the Grenadier Public House in Halewood.

A 29-year-old man was tried but acquitted.

Ronald Gough died after his throat was cut by a glass.

However the man tried said that he didn't remeber holding a glass and that he thought it had been Ronald Gough's glass that caused his injury.

The had had a row over the pub's darts team selection, arguing over who should play for the Grenadier pub.

Two vital blood vessels in Ronald Gough's neck were severed, causing him to lose four litres of blood before reaching hospital, where he died four days later, on 18 October 1983.

In outlining the case, the prosecution told the court that it was a case of what was sometimes called glassing, in which the other darts player was said to have smashed his beer glass into Ronald Gough's throat.

The court heard that the row started during a darts match. Both men had been drinking and began arguing about the team's selection and performance the previous week.  as tempers frayed the pair began swearing and it was alleged that Ronald Gough held up two fingers to the other man's eyes and then raised up his glass and said:

However, Ronald Gough's wife, frightened of what was happening, took the glass from her husband's hand. It was noted that Ronald Gough made the threat, his glass had been next to the other man's face.

It was heard next that the other man then brought his arm forward, and smashed his glass into Ronald Gough's neck.

Although the other man later told the police that he couldn't remember the actual final details of what happened, the prosecution alleged that he admitted glassing Ronald Gough. They said that when the police arrived, he said to one of them:

It was then heard that when he was arrested, the man made what was described as a macabre requet, to be allowed to finish his pint first, however, the prosecution put that down to 'play acting', in a bid to establish that his glass had not been used in injuring Ronald Gough.

The prosecution concluded their case by saying:

Ronald Gough's wife said that she had been in the Grenadier, and that although her husband had been angry, there had been nothing in his behaviour to cause the man to use a glass.

The man was tried at Liverpool Crown Court in July 1984 and found not guilty.

It was noted that missing case papers held up the trial.