The night out which left seven young men in prison and another fighting for his life

The old bonded warehouse on Victoria Street which once housed the nightclub known as the Safehouse now stands empty, but on Boxing Night 2023 it was a bustling hive of festivity. Among those out celebrating that evening with his friends was Anthony Dodson.

Aged 21, the promising young boxer held ambitions of following in the footsteps of his dad, Tony Dodson, who had made it professionally and once held the British super middleweight title. He was making some inroads in this regard too, winning the Merseyside and Cheshire Youth Championship final and making it to the quarter finals of the national championships while fighting out of Gemini Boxing Club in Speke.

Within hours, his dreams of sporting success would be in tatters. Far worse than that, he would be lying mere moments away from death in a cold, dark and damp street in Liverpool city centre.

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Milne Critchley, Adam Draper, Lee Duffy, Jordan Kinsella, Eugene Mason-Lamb, George Miller and Cameron Quinn were also present in the same venue after the clock had ticked over into the early hours of December 27. Despite his tender age, a 16-year-old boy had managed to find his way in alongside them.

Events which went on to unfold over the course of no more than 15 minutes would see their lives turned upside down as well, with some even making desperate attempts to flee to France as illegal stowaways in a lorry in the aftermath. And yet it all began so innocuously when, at around 5am, Kai Robinson, a member of Mr Dodson's group, brushed past Miller as he was dancing with a woman.

Looks and words were exchanged. It was something of nothing. And yet, when Mr Robinson made his way back from the bar a few moments later, Miller struck him with a blow that started a melee which would spill out into the street and lead to a man being stabbed twice in the heart.

Draper was the next to join the attack, raining down punches of his own. Duffy had clearly been anticipating the possibility of some sort of trouble that evening, having armed himself with a knife before going out on the town, and he showed not a moment's hesitation in pulling this blade out and brandishing it inside the busy bar.

Both he and the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, then began quite literally sticking the boot into Mr Robinson after he had fallen to the floor. One of the victim's friends, Sam Finley, attempted in vain to break up the fighting, but was instead struck across the head with a bottle of Disaronno thrown by Quinn.

Quinn, Duffy, Critchley, Miller and two unknown males were all ejected from the establishment into the rainy dawn by security following this initial flare up, being followed out of the door by Kinsella, the youth and several females in their company. Some members of their party tried to get back in without success before Mr Robinson emerged, his black t-shirt ripped at the left shoulder as a result of the altercation.

Alone and isolated in the street, he tried to reason with his assailants but was left with no choice other than to defend himself. He raised his fists to Critchley but, vastly outnumbered, was quickly set upon.

Mr Robinson was kicked and punched. The boy hurled a bottle into the fracas before arming himself with part of a large metal fan and swinging the improvised weapon at their target's head.

Another friend, Alex Murphy, attempted to come to the victim's aid, but was stabbed by Quinn with a shard of broken glass. Duffy followed suit by slashing at him, but mercifully missing, with his knife.

Door staff were eventually able to bundle Mr Robinson back into the club, but not before Critchley and Duffy aimed further blows in his direction. He was still far from safe inside the Safehouse however, being punched and headbutted by another attacker, Delton Jones.

While Mr Murphy was escorted into a waiting taxi, Mr Robinson and Mr Dodson were instead let out of the bar onto Peter Street. A crowd of at least 10 men were waiting for them.

The latter was punched by Critchley and kicked by Miller, while the teen launched further objects in his direction. The two men were pursued down Peter Street towards Whitechapel, with Mr Dodson being caught by the pack and surrounded by a group also containing Jones, Duffy and Kinsella. He was viciously assaulted and, at some stage, knifed in the chest.

The injured man made it as far as Church Street before he collapsed. Emergency services workers rushed to his aid. Had they not discovered him so quickly, he may well have died from his injuries. Liverpool Crown Court heard this week that he continues to "face an uncertain prognosis", with his heart still not functioning properly to this day.

But his attackers were seemingly pleased with themselves. Both Duffy and Miller were caught on CCTV shadowboxing as they left the area. Draper meanwhile stashed a lock knife inside an industrial bin near to German Doner Kebab.

In the sober light of day however, reality would begin to set in. The Givenchy jumper which Critchley had been wearing that evening was later found charred in Thirlmere Park in Everton alongside several burnt out phones in an attempt to destroy evidence which would link him and his fellow attackers to the scene. He, Draper, Quinn and another man, Luke Bowland, were then arrested after attempting to escape to Europe in the back of a HGV which was stopped in Calais on January 2.

It was never established who was responsible for Mr Dodson's stabbing, but charges of inflicting grievous bodily harm upon him were proceeded with on a joint enterprise basis. Steven Ball, prosecuting, told a jury during a trial in July: "There was a swarm of people using violence in the attack on him towards the bottom of Peter Street, an attack in which he was outnumbered, surrounded, set upon, overpowered and unable to defend himself. The actual perpetrator or perpetrators of the stabbing, the knifeman or men, remain unknown, although there are a number of contenders who were within striking distance.

"This was a joint enterprise, and these defendants had a commonality of purpose where, the prosecution say, all of them should take responsibility for their collective actions and their outcomes. In this case, there were secondary parties who aided, abetted, counselled or procured this attack and as such they are complicit.

"These men all had the intention of causing serious harm - whether that be with knives, fists or feet. Put simply, we say that all those who pursued the men down Peter Street were up for serious violence and intended in this group attack to cause serious injuries.

"You can convict the defendants if you are sure that they participated through their encouragement or support. That encouragement could be inferred by their presence or gestures or by their physical support in joining in, by keeping watch or being there present prepared to back up their friends."

Subsequent guilty verdicts were met with furious outbursts as supporters walked out of the courtroom, with one woman shouting "bad snitches" as she did so and a man adding "little grassing c**ts". The defendants themselves followed suit when they returned to court to be sentenced on Monday, calling the judge a "nonce" and a "paedophile" as they were led down to the cells to begin jail terms totalling more than 50 years.

Critchley, of Sprucewood Close in Anfield, was found guilty of wounding with intent, having admitted violent disorder. Groans were heard in the public gallery and one woman left in tears as the 21-year-old was handed 10 years, a term of which he must serve two thirds behind bars before becoming eligible for release.

Draper, of St David's Road in Huyton, was convicted of unlawful wounding by a jury. The 21-year-old was handed four years and will be subject to a two-year serious violence reduction order upon his release.

Miller, of no fixed address, admitted violent disorder but was found guilty of wounding with intent. Further groans were heard in court as the 20-year-old was locked up for 10 years, of which he must serve at least two thirds in custody.

Quinn, of Swanside Road in Huyton, was convicted of two counts of wounding with intent, having pleaded guilty to violent disorder. The 21-year-old stood with his arms folded in the dock then shrugged as he was imprisoned for 12 years, of which he must serve two thirds, while a co-defendant patted him on the back.

Kinsella was found guilty of unlawful wounding, having admitted violent disorder. The 29-year-old, of Harrogate Drive in Everton, nodded as he was jailed for four years.

Duffy, of Whitefield Way in Everton, was convicted of unlawful wounding, attempted unlawful wounding and possession of a bladed article in a public place. The 19-year-old also pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was given six years in a young offenders' institute.

Mason-Lamb, who was said to have acted as a lookout in the latter part of the incident, admitted violent disorder but was cleared of wounding with intent and unlawful wounding. Cries of "yes" and clapping were heard from the public gallery as the 30-year-old, of Hodder Road in Everton, was handed a 15-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months, 100 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 25 days.

The youth, now 17, was found guilty of two counts of wounding with intent and admitted violent disorder. He was handed five-and-a-half years in a young offenders' institute.

At least four others who are believed to have been involved in the incident were never identified, while Jones' whereabouts are currently unknown. Ironically, considering his efforts to flee the country, Bowland was "ruled out of participating in the violence". The Safehouse meanwhile had its licence suspended in the days after December 27 and was shut down by Liverpool City Council.

Judge Stuart Driver KC said in his sentencing remarks: "Anthony Dodson became separated and alone. He was surrounded and he was punched, kicked and stabbed. His injuries were certainly life-threatening.

"He is lucky to be alive. The emergency services reached him almost immediately as he lay in the street. Had they not, it is likely that his family would have suffered a tragedy and these defendants would have faced homicide charges.

"He has not made a full recovery. One eyewitness described these defendants as behaving like a pack of animals. No reasonable person could disagree with that."