AFTER 15 years in the force, Martin Cleworth was tasked with telling the world’s media that a courageous 47-year-old who had left his home to move on a group of teenagers had died from his horrific injuries.

The then detective chief inspector for Warrington will never forget the moment he heard the news of the initial attack which led to a national debate surrounding anti-social behaviour and underage drinking.

“I remember vividly taking the call as the duty officer about what had gone on,” said Supt Cleworth.

“In those early stages Garry hadn’t been killed but it was a really nasty assault. Even at that stage there was something different about this.

“Over the weekend a lot of the lads were identified and arrested.

“One thing that has always stuck with me is how quickly Cheshire Police responded on that night.

“They had to act quickly to round up the evidence which ultimately led to some of the convictions.”

The impact of the attack is just as pertinent today as it was 10 years ago – a case he will never forget.

“It is one of those cases that stays with you throughout your career,” said Supt Cleworth.

“He was a normal family guy and you think that could have been me.

“He went out to move on some kids who were causing problems and an altercation happened and he was killed.

“It could have been any one of us. I will never forget the impact it had on Helen and the family after. It was soul destroying.”

With the key arrests made later the same night, detectives at Cheshire Police had to move quickly to gather the evidence by preserving the crime scene, collecting witness accounts and trawling CCTV.

But the case caught the attention of media outlets across the globe, sparking questions about anti-social behaviour.

Supt Cleworth said: “The lives of a lovely family had been changed forever through this pack violence that we had seen. Acting in a pack where people for no logical reason are willing to inflict that level of injury on someone – it’s horrific.”

The story led to a bigger national debate about alcohol sales, young people drinking and minimum pricing.

“The chief inspector at the time spoke about the tragedy but also said there was a much deeper issue of kids drinking on the streets and being violent and we needed to tackle that,” said Supt Cleworth.

“It was a wake-up call about anti-social behaviour and its impact.

“The case of Garry Newlove was this issue of young people causing problems, disorder, nuisance and that it was a lot more serious than some people had recognised.”

SUPT Cleworth believes big steps have been taken in tackling the problem which once plagued the town.

In recent years reports of anti-social behaviour have dropped according to a Freedom of Information Act requested by the Warrington Guardian.

In 2013 there were 2,150 incidents reported to Cheshire Constabulary regarding anti-social behaviour involving young people, while in 2016 there were 1,970 crimes reported of this nature.

Between January 1 and June 30 this year there have been 838 reports of anti-social behaviour linked to youths.

Police are also continuing to seek acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs) and civil injunctions which replaced anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs).

In 2014 officers applied for 26 court orders. This is in comparison to 79 in 2015, 73 in 2016 and 64 in 2017.

Residents are urged to report all incidents of anti-social behaviour by calling Cheshire Police on 101.