Killer who stabbed dad-of-five at Sheffield pub was on suspended prison sentence for dealing drugs

Bovic Mupolo, aged 21, had been given a second chance by a judge after being caught dealing heroin and crack cocaine in May 2019. Instead of jailing the dealer, the judge in the case opted to sentence him to 16 months in a young offenders institute suspended for two years. He also ordered him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Mupolo, who was 19 when he was sentenced, was said to have been recruited to take drugs from Sheffield to Hull when he was a schoolboy. The court in Hull heard he was caught by police with £3,000 worth of drugs and a phone containing messages relating to dealing.

Suspended prison sentences are intended to encourage criminals to change their ways because of the prospect of being sent to jail if they are caught breaking the law again within a set amount of time. But while Mupolo was enjoying his freedom instead of being locked up, he killed dad-of-five Macaulay Byrne in an attack at the Gypsy Queen pub in Beighton last Boxing Day.

Mupolo, of Fleury Rise, Gleadless, was found guilty this week after a trial and received a life sentence. He was told he must serve a minimum of 18 years behind bars before he can be considered for parole.

Macaulay, known as Coley, was stabbed four times when violence flared outside the pub. Mupolo, who had denied murder, claimed racist insults had been hurled when he arrived at the pub. He suggested that in the disturbance which broke out one of Coley’s friends must have accidentally stabbed him.

But his version of events were disbelieved by jurors and he was found guilty.

Sentencing Mupolo, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said he was satisfied that the killer had arrived at the pub armed.

“This case demonstrates the dangers of individuals carrying knives and then involving themselves in a fight,” he said. “The temptation to use the knife is so great that it overwhelms the individual. The knife is then used to devastating and often fatal effect. That is what happened here.”

In a statement issued after the case, Coley’s family said: “We, the family of Coley Byrne, are satisfied that justice has been served. Coley was a much-loved son, brother, father, nephew and grandson.

“Coley will live on in our hearts forever and the verdict delivered today goes some way to help us process the events which took him from us.”