Man convicted of killing vulnerable wheelchair-bound dad in Warrington
Daniel Sharples will be sentenced for the callous attack at the end of the month.
A man who repeatedly kicked a helpless wheelchair-bound man to death in Warrington has been found guilty of murder.
Daniel Sharples was convicted of killing 53-year-old dad-of-two Michael Mairs following an eight day trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Sharples was under the influence of alcohol after a morning of drinking Sambuca shots when he carried out the attack on 6th October 2019.
He'd already verbally abused a group of people, and attacked Michael’s two friends before he launched his assault on Mr Mairs.
Michael was unable to escape – he was initially punched in the face before his wheelchair was tipped over, leaving him exposed to repeated kicks in the head as he lay helpless on the floor.
As the attack continued, a member of the public intervened and attempted to pull Sharples off Michael, who was barely conscious on the floor.
However, the attack was not over, and before fleeing the scene he grabbed Michael’s wheelchair from underneath him and tossed it aside.
He then ran off on foot, but was arrested a short time later after attempting to evade officers.
Upon his arrest Sharples admitted the attack – claiming that he carried it out as Michael had sold heroin to his son.
Michael was initially treated at the scene by paramedics before being transported to Warrington District General Hospital with injuries reported to be life threatening by the Paramedics.
Due to the severity of his injuries, he was placed into an induced coma and transferred to intensive care.
Sadly, despite the best efforts of all those involved, Michael never regained consciousness and died on Monday 28 October.
Following today’s guilty verdict Detective Inspector Helen Clegg said: “This was a totally unprovoked attack on a vulnerable man who had no way of defending himself.
“On the day of the incident Michael was simply socialising with his friends and minding his own business.
“Sharples is a strong and powerful man and used his kick boxing experience to launch a vicious and sustained attack on Michael as he sat helpless in his wheelchair. He was totally focused on inflicting serious harm.
“Throughout the investigation Sharples has never shown any remorse. Instead, attempted to place the blame on Michael, claiming that he had sold drugs to his son, claims that were totally unsubstantiated."
Paying tribute to their dad, Michael's children said: “What Sharples did will live with us forever; that day, Sharples set out to kill and our dad was unfortunately caught in the crossfire.
“It goes without saying that Sharples’ actions were those of a vile bully. We will never forget the funny, bubbly, caring man our dad once was.
“We, as a family, would like to thank all the witnesses who came forward and those who tried to help our dad that day. We are more than grateful.”
38-year-old Sharples, of Griesdale Avenue, Orford, Warrington, will be sentenced on Tuesday 27 October.