What is happening anyone know?

There are loads of police near the new building where the Park is and there is police tape all around it.

The police have closed the road near the park.

POLICE have launched a murder investigation after a young Sheffield man was killed in Firth Park.

The victim, who is in his 20s, was with a friend on Firth Park Road when he was attacked at around 8.15pm last night.


http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=58&ArticleID=938863

I was in firthpark earlier today and the feds are allover the place!!!!!
And the road is still blocked off!!

The Police cordons by the roundabout have now been removed

So get shopping :)

The chemist is closed by the way.

More details here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/4238807.stm





"The bus was fitted with CCTV cameras and we will be able to identify the people involved but we would prefer it if they come forward," he added.



:clap: lets hope they get em.

Originally posted by Abdul
So get shopping :)


Is there any parking spaces available? ;)

Originally posted by Lickszz
Is there any parking spaces available? ;)

Oh yes there are - if you know where to look :heyhey:

The stories in the links dont seem to be the same.
If its the 1 with the 76 bus, thats the bus I was going to catch but I missed it, I'm quite glad I did now.

Just nipped through Firth Park this afternoon - not knowing about the story - there's a lot of young lads hanging around in gangs - down by the old library and up on Stubbin - looks quite menacing - to the casual bypasser...

Not the first time ' safe to walk about at night' Firth Park's been in the news for the wrong reasons..

Originally posted by Internetowl
Not the first time ' safe to walk about at night' Firth Park's been in the news for the wrong reasons..

Err...Would you ever expect the Star to make Firth Park front page news for the right reasons?

the underlying fact is the Star report the news they receive - if the news ain't good you cannot expect the report to paint a rosy picture can you?

Chap's been named as Michael Howard aged 33.

I wonder if this is the same group of 'youths'that intimidated me and my family on the bus from Firth Park at the end of last year.
There is a thread on here about it ( youths on buses),but i'm not clever enough to link it.
The youths in question were reported to the police and to First,but nothing was done about it.
If this is the same gang,this mindless act could have been stopped.

Did the youths get on the same bus that the victim had got off?
I wonder why the driver didn't press his panic alarm.

Originally posted by scoop
Did the youths get on the same bus that the victim had got off?
I wonder why the driver didn't press his panic alarm.

How do you know he didnt?,,,,,what exactly do you think this so called panic alarm does as ive heard it mentioned a few times on various threads?.

I would strongly reccomend that this thread doesnt go the way of,"oh if only the bus driver had done more".
We should also refrain from speculating on what actualy happened and leave that for those that are qualified to do so,it was a tragic incident and is a sign of the twisted times we now live in.

The bus was fitted with CCTV,the police will no doubt have the video by now and will study it in great detail.

Seems theres been an arrest. For the latest.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/4238807.stm

It gets right up my kyber to see they got bail.
How can you bail people responsible for this kind of crime.
We will wait for the court case and what will happen,, Oh dear they've absconded.
Mind you it does'nt say they have been charged so perhaps thats why they were bailed.

South Yorkshire Police have issued pictures of people on the bus who they want to come forward. Have a look!!

http://southyorks.police.uk/news/details.php?id=778

The pictures are in a PDF link at the bottom of the article.

A pointless waste. Mik was one of the good guys, just trying to get on with his life and look after his beautiful young family. He will be deeply missed by all who were lucky enough to get to know him.

Originally posted by tango2
How do you know he didnt?,,,,,what exactly do you think this so called panic alarm does as ive heard it mentioned a few times on various threads
As far as I am aware the driver can use the panic alarm to summon the police.
I've heard of it being used when a driver is feeling threatened by passengers.

The way I interpret the press coverage of this incident is that after the incident had taken place, the attackers got on the bus and continued their journey. That is what makes me think that the panic alarm was not used.

Originally posted by bruce_bruce
A pointless waste. Mik was one of the good guys, just trying to get on with his life and look after his beautiful young family. He will be deeply missed by all who were lucky enough to get to know him.

Indeed, have been trying to put it to words since I was told last night, I'm glad someone's managed to get it more eloquently than I could've at the moment.

RIP Mik

Originally posted by scoop
As far as I am aware the driver can use the panic alarm to summon the police.
I've heard of it being used when a driver is feeling threatened by passengers.

The way I interpret the press coverage of this incident is that after the incident had taken place, the attackers got on the bus and continued their journey. That is what makes me think that the panic alarm was not used.

The only way the driver can summon the police is by way of commnication via the bus company or mobile phone.

ok this isnt a joke....just thought id say it incase its of any help..

number 12 in those bus stills looks exactly like that lad who was on x-factor who rapped eminems stan...... i know this might sound silly but i was told at the time of the show that he was from sheffield so maybe someone could find out what his name was (i cant remember).

oh and i was on a bus when a bloke kicked off and the bus driver (after putting the bloke in a head lock) shouted for someone to call for the police for him. so i guess that alarm thingy doesnt contact them or he wouldnt of needed us to phone for him.

It's not a panic button they have but a code that they radio in to Olive Grove! They just press the radio thing and say whatever code it is and where they are and then the police are sent. That's what was done when my mates dad was a driver for First.

I often walk my little doggy in this park and also concord and longley. I often feel a bit intimidated on that corner of firth park, altho' it helps that lots of people are around usually. I wish there was a definite police presence at regular intervals early to mid evenings to deter anti social gatherings/events.

When we had those asbo's, controversial as they were, things were much quieter. Sad thing is, most of the groups gathered around are nice people having a bit of fun, noisy maybe, a bit cheeky too, but rarely seriously obnoxious. How do you spot the really scarey ones that are going to stab someone though?

Still think you are more likely to get run over by a bus than stabbed on one.

And there ARE parking spaces, opposite the library and along stubbin, but you have to be patient when things are busy and willing to walk a bit sometimes. Why did the council sell their site for flats when we could have had a nice pay and display car park?!!

Mik or 'goth mik' to some who knew him was a friend of my boyfriends and I knew him too.

He was a quiet, nice guy who wouldn't hurt a fly.

I hope that the 4 who have been arrested go down for life and don't get off for something like these people usually do.

RIP Mik

Originally posted by Foxxx
Mik or 'goth mik' to some who knew him was a friend of my boyfriends and I knew him too.

He was a quiet, nice guy who wouldn't hurt a fly.

I hope that the 4 who have been arrested go down for life and don't get off for something like these people usually do.

RIP Mik

I'm sure what you say about this man is true, but we do have a process of gatheing of evidence and a trial.

I'm sorry if you find me talking about it in this way a criticism of what you have said or as offensive to the man who has died, because I don't mean it to be.

Just remember that being arrested does not make you guilty.

Originally posted by MTheo
number 12 in those bus stills looks exactly like that lad who was on x-factor who rapped eminems stan...... i know this might sound silly but i was told at the time of the show that he was from sheffield so maybe someone could find out what his name was (i cant remember).

I can't remember either, but I'd say it's him for definate.

K x

Originally posted by Yodameister
I'm sure what you say about this man is true, but we do have a process of gatheing of evidence and a trial.

I'm sorry if you find me talking about it in this way a criticism of what you have said or as offensive to the man who has died, because I don't mean it to be.

Just remember that being arrested does not make you guilty.

The trouble is with our justice system, is that someone who gets done for e.g. certain fraud cases can get 20 years and someone who murdered someone can get off on technicalities e.g. if the post-mortem reveals that he had any sort of underlying problem they could attribute that to the cause of death so the people who murdered him wouldn't get done for murder. They could end up which a much smaller sentence then be out on good behaviour having served 3 or 4 years.

I hope the evidence gathered puts them away for a very very long time. I know what you mean about innocent until proven guilty but at the end of the day, someone went too far and the evidence for that is quite clear.

I still can't understand how they can have bail. Clearly this is a violent crime whether provoked or not makes no difference, there were witnesses also. Then these people who are capable of this are let free to roam the streets. I don't feel safe anymore.

Just heard on Hallam FM this morning that the trial for Miks death is starting. They have a 20 year old lad and they gave his name and the road he comes from in firth park, which I won't put on here because I'm not 100% sure I remember what the newsreader said. He's on trial for manslaughter (Surprise surprise).

Does anyone know any info, or where I can find out info on the case? A few of us who knew Mik would like to know what's going on and how its manslaughter and not murder. I've tried doing a search and looking on local news websites, but can't find anything. It's difficult because although we knew him, we didn't know his parents, and it's not something you contact them about, so we're left not knowing what supposedly happened on that day he stepped off the bus.

Plenty of views but no replies........
Does no-one on this forum have any idea where I can find out this info??

I've searched online but as yet I cant find anything more than what was published back in feb. I did ask his brother if he could give me any details but he declined to answer. Maybe he will contact me again once things have settled down but for obvious reasons I'm reluctant to push the issue. Other than going to the courts or visiting Mik's parents, I'm out of ideas. I dare say nobody really knows what happened other than the people involved, but if I hear anything in the near future I'll post it and I'd appreciate it if anyone else could do likewise.

front page of today's STAR - all you could want with names!

Great, thanks. The story is also here (http://sheffieldtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=58&ArticleID=1048562) on the star website.

Thanks very much for the info. I've been checking the local news sites after hearing it on Hallam FM but there was nothing, they must have added that news article yesterday after I last checked.

I really hope justice is done. I still don't understand how fights always seem to go to a lesser charge of Manslaughter. Does anyone know the minimum and maximum he could go down for if found guilty? A fist is a weapon as much as a knife is or a gun etc so is it not murder? This just proves how much of a weapon a fist can be. As for Sykes claiming he was protecting himself from Mik, anyone who knew Mik would know he wouldn't be looking for trouble, he was a cool chilled out bloke.

If anyone hears anymore please post the info.

I've been thinking about it, and I am guessing, it's manslaughter because it was one punch. A knife or a gun etc are weapons because you're carrying them with intent, whereas we all carry our fists around. I think if found guilty this guy will prob get a light sentence purely because it was one punch.

its an obvious defence in the circumstances - if it was self defence then the jury would have to find him not guilty - its not like the blokes around to argue otherwise is it

The Star went for the "Let's make him look like a complete thug, and the "victim" not to blame at all".

Whilst it was unfortunate that he died, it was as much his fault for starting the fight. He was drunk and got lary (sp?), and is obviously one of the types of people that think "I don't care if there's more of them, they're all younger than me so I'm automatically going to be able to win".

I don't think he deserves any sentence at all. If he wouldn't have died, the guy would more than likely not press charges because he would have known he was just as much to blame.

Mr Jameson told the court: "When he went out that night, Mr Sykes didn't know Mr Howard had died. But he was content to leave him unconscious on the ground."


So if someone starts a fight with you and you win.. Are you supposed to help them up and on their way? Get real!!!!!


He (Mr.Howard) had drunk about five pints of lager, and police found traces of Ecstasy and cannabis in his blood.

Need I say anything?


I hate it when papers use phrases that make the "victim" sound completely innocent. "Dad killed by single punch". What relevance does him being a dad have? Why not "Drunken idiot starts fight"?

Tell you what, just so people don't think I'm in the wrong, next time some drunken one-man army starts a fight with me, I'll take a moment to see if he has kids.. If he does then it would be wrong for me to defend myself incase he has a chin weaker than a teacup made of chocolate.

Firstly, it's manslaughter because it wasnt premeditated murder. They didnt go at him with the intention of killing him therefore it was an "accidental" result of their actions.

Secondly, Mik wasn't the kind of bloke to start a fight, and nobody is saying he did start it. He simply squared up to someone hurling abuse at him, which I'm pretty sure most blokes would do. It's an ego thing right? There's no point throwing blame around to either side. If he hadn't hugged his mate they wouldn't have shouted abuse, if they hadn't shouted he wouldn't have bothered with them, if he hadn't bothered they wouldn't have started the fight and he wouldn't be dead now. So where is the blame? Seems to me it all started with a hug and if you think that's so wrong you all need to seriously look at your own lives and stop bitching about people who most of you don't even know and who aren't here to defend themselves.

Regardless of who started what, nobody deserves to die for something so stupid.

Originally posted by GazB
So if someone starts a fight with you and you win.. Are you supposed to help them up and on their way? Get real!!!!!

He (Mr.Howard) had drunk about five pints of lager, and police found traces of Ecstasy and cannabis in his blood.

Need I say anything?


I hate it when papers use phrases that make the "victim" sound completely innocent. "Dad killed by single punch". What relevance does him being a dad have? Why not "Drunken idiot starts fight"?

Tell you what, just so people don't think I'm in the wrong, next time some drunken one-man army starts a fight with me, I'll take a moment to see if he has kids.. If he does then it would be wrong for me to defend myself incase he has a chin weaker than a teacup made of chocolate.

Maybe I'm biased here because I knew Mik but your comments are totally unjust.

For a start Mik was not being a drunken idiot starting a fight. He was innocently on his way home with Gav and got off a bus to go home to his partner and 2 kids. It was Ian Sykes and his gang that started by shouting abuse at Mik and calling him a fagot. So get your facts right before accussing an innocent man who died of starting a fight. A gang started abusing him verbally for no reason whatsoever. Ok, granted, Mik should have left it alone, but I guess, like many men, he took offense to being called a fagot and had a go back. Mik's not a violent drunken lout, it's people like Ian Sykes and his pals who were out looking for a fight. Hence all the stuff he bragged about when he got on the bus and left Mik for dead.
Ok, I'm sure Sykes didn't actually mean to kill Mik, but Mik didn't throw a punch, he just had a go at Sykes and his pals for shouting abuse at him.
As for the 5 pints of lager, traces of Ecstasy and cannabis in his blood, I fail to see what that's got to do with it. So Mik was a stoner, he'd been to the pub after work on Friday, had 5 pints and was on his way home at about 8 in the evening. Cannabis doesn't make you a violent man. As for Ecstacy in his blood, traces can remain for a long time, so I assume he took that on a different night, not that night when he's on his way home at 8. Besides Ecstasy makes you want to love everyone not start a fight. What is your point exactly? The article didn't say how much booze Sykes had drunk.

GazB I find your post quite insulting to be honest. Are you a mate of Ian Sykes or something?

Latest update


star update (http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=58&ArticleID=1052286)

Unconfirmed by the Star as yet, but have just heard he has been found Guilty and has got 4 years.

so he'll do 18 months tops - once he's appealed the sentence as being too harsh - and he was a known thug - its not like its his first offence is it?

result (http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=58&ArticleID=1054302) :(

4 years may not be enough for those close to him, as the sentence can never replace the life. . . but looking at this whole episode with a third party view, it's better than a not guilty!!!

Hope he enjoy's his time at her maj's pleasure. .