A knifeman who stabbed someone to death following a pub fight has been convicted of murder.
Brandon Byrne armed himself with the weapon before hunting James Cook down and killing him.
The night-time attack came minutes after the men had come to blows inside a pub in Newark town centre.
They had been standing in separate groups when something was said between them that prompted things to boil over and sparked a brawl between them inside the pub.
Both men were duly ejected from the venue, with Byrne exiting through the rear, having sustained a significant facial injury in the fight.
Incensed by this, the 23-year-old was seen on CCTV to produce a knife and go looking for Mr Cook, who had left via the front of the pub.
The pair’s paths crossed shortly afterwards, with Byrne producing a knife he’d been carrying and chasing the 40-year-old along Stodman Street.
Having caught up with Mr Cook in Castle Gate, the knifeman proceeded to stab him and then kick his victim to the head.
Not content with what he’d already done, Byrne stabbed him again as he lay injured on the ground before walking away.
The attack, which happened around 11.50 pm on 30 April 2025, left Mr Cook with unsurvivable injuries.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight on 1 May 2025.
By 4.09 am that same day, Byrne – who was 22 at the time – had been identified, tracked down, and detained at his home address by police.
Body-worn video then captured Byrne, formerly of Winston Court, Newark, asking an officer, “Did he die?”, when confronted with what he’d done.
Despite the considerable evidence against him, he pleaded not guilty to murder, which prompted the need for a trial.
Byrne belatedly pleaded guilty to the separate charge of possessing an offensive weapon in public, meanwhile.
His murder trial at Nottingham Crown Court began on Monday 13 April and ran until today (30 April), when the jury returned a guilty verdict.
Byrne will be sentenced at the same court tomorrow (1 May).
Detective Constable Kimberley Priestley, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“This shocking and senseless attack sent shockwaves across Newark and caused unimaginable devastation to Mr Cook’s family.
“Brandon Byrne was the person responsible for inflicting that pain through his inexplicable and callous actions that night.
“Having fought with Mr Cook in a pub only minutes earlier – and been injured in the process – Byrne armed himself and went looking for retribution.
“What followed was a disgraceful display of violence, with Byrne chasing his victim down and killing him, having stabbed him not once, but twice.
“Despite everything he’d already done, the attacker compounded things still further by pleading not guilty to murder, which meant Mr Cook’s family had to relive the ordeal all over again in the resulting trial.
“We hope the conclusion of this trial provides Mr Cook’s family with some small degree of comfort.”
