Jaywick: Bobby Nethercott guilty of killing Michelle Cooper

A man has been convicted of manslaughter over the death of a mother-of-three he attacked in the street.

Michelle Cooper, 40, from Clacton in Essex, died in hospital on 25 April 2021, two days after she was set upon in Beach Way, Jaywick.

Bobby Nethercott, 31, of Jaywick, was also found guilty of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Two men were found not guilty of manslaughter at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Jordan Stanley, 20, of Masterman Road, East Ham, London, was convicted of two counts of actual bodily harm. Charlie Whittaker, 23, of Bemerton Gardens, Kirby Cross, Essex, was found guilty of one count of actual bodily harm.

Demi Cole, 20, of Beach Way, Jaywick, had pleaded guilty to one count of actual bodily harm at an earlier date.

Essex Police said Nethercott was in a group that had been drinking in the Never Say Die pub in Broadway, Jaywick, on 23 April.

Afterwards, the group headed to a house in Beach Way, where the three male defendants hit and kicked a man in the group.

It spilled on to the street, where Cole joined in, and another person in the group, a teenager, was assaulted, the force said.

As the group made its way along Beach Way, Nethercott, of Park Square East, set upon Ms Cooper and continued to kick her when she fell to the ground.

She never regained consciousness.

All four defendants were initially on trial for Ms Cooper's murder, but the judge directed the jury to clear them earlier this month due to a lack of evidence.

They are due to be sentenced on 5 April.

A statement released by Ms Cooper's family said she was a happy, energetic and optimistic woman who would "light up a room".

"Michelle was a big part of the local community and her death has been far reaching," the family said.

"Michelle has left behind her three beloved children, never seeing them grow up.

"She was the most caring and generous person. If you ever needed anything, she was always there for you.

"She spread so much joy."

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