A dad and daughter laughed while carrying out a bloody ‘revenge attack’ together on a man outside a nightclub in Merseyside.
CCTV footage showed Conor McQuade, 44, creeping up behind victim Lewis Reed and repeatedly stabbing him outside a nightclub in Widnes, saying ‘this is what you deserve’ while his daughter Charlotte looked on and laughed.
The attack, which took place at The Hub nightclub at around 2am on January 1, followed an allegation previously made against Mr Reed made by Charlotte McQuade in 2020.
He denied the allegation and no action was taken against him, but the dad and daughter held a ‘deep-seated grudge’ against Mr Reed, a judge heard.
During the pair’s sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court today, a victim statement was read out on Mr Reed’s behalf. It said: ‘Since I was 16 Charlotte has made my life a living hell with her lies. I tried to help her back then, refusing to leave her alone in a dangerous situation under the influence of drugs, despite her having a reputation for using drugs.
‘If you listen to her, I’m a bad person, But if you know the facts, it’s easy to see it’s her, not me, in the wrong. Conor McQuade decided to listen to his daughter and instead of getting her the help she needed, twice he attacked me. This last time, he really wanted to kill me. I was simply trying to enjoy myself on a night out as I had many times before.’
The court heard how Charlotte McQuade called her dad after spotting Mr Reed inside a nightclub on New Year’s Eve, who armed himself with two knives and made his way to the scene.
Upon arrival, the pair met up and planned the attack outside the club, which culminated in Conor stabbing Mr Reed ‘down to the hilt’ while he stepped outside for a cigarette while telling him ‘this is what you deserve.’
He told the court: ‘I had seen Charlotte that night and kept my distance like I always did, but unknown to me she had already phoned her dad to stab me, to take my life for her own gain.
‘Charlotte didn’t succeed in her plan but she has taken so much from me. My grandad was admitted to hospital that night and was on end-of-life care – I never got to say goodbye to the man who raised me. I struggled in pain to carry his coffin at his funeral.’
The attack followed a similar incident in 2023 which saw Conor, who has 37 convictions for 67 past offences, throw a punch at Mr Reed after another altercation.
Phil Tully, defending Charlotte, said his client suffered from mental health problems and was ‘vulnerable’, ‘highly suggestible and easily led’.
He said: ‘It’s clear that she’s someone who experienced numerous traumatic events as a child which has resulted in her having to deal with mental health issues. The information from Cheshire Police reveals an extensive history of violence and domestic abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect.’
Sentencing Charlotte McQuade, he said: ‘I have thought carefully on the submissions made on your behalf but I disagree with them. You, with calls and messages, alerted your father to Lewis Reed’s presence. I’m satisfied you did that knowing perfectly well what was to occur.
‘You had a conversation with him outside. You were seen on CCTV indicated to your father where Lewis Reed was standing. Although you yourself didn’t wield the knife, and might not have known exactly how your father planned to do it, I’m satisfied you knew your father was to cause very serious injury to Mr Reed and that was your intention. I therefore see no reason for treating you any different from your father.
‘You do have significant mitigation. You have a good character. There’s the issue of your youth – you were 20 at the time of the attack – and you have a low level of maturity. You have expressed genuine remorse for what happened to Lewis Reed. I accept you have had a very difficult upbringing which has resulted in ongoing mental health issues, although I don’t accept your mental health issues had a significant impact on your culpability.”
Conor was sentenced to six years in prison and a further two on license, while Charlotte was sentenced to five years.A restraining order was also imposed banning both her and her father from contacting Mr Reed.
The dad and daughter embraced in the docks as they were jailed while members of the public gallery broke down in tears and shouted ‘I love you Charlotte’ as the 21-year-old was led away.
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