Croydon man arrested at Liverpool-Arsenal match

Pic: Ricardo Motti

A man from Croydon appeared in a Liverpool court on Tuesday charged with the murder of a Stuart Smith in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Michael Samuels, 39, of St James’s Road, Croydon, was arrested on Sunday at Anfield stadium during a match between Liverpool and Arsenal along with three others from the London area.

Smith, 33, also from London, was found by officers at around 2:45 AM in Back Colquitt Street – an area popular  for its bars and nightclubs – in Liverpool city centre, following reports that he had been assaulted. He died in Royal Liverpool Hospital a short time later.

Police charged Michael Samuels, 39, of St James’s Road, Croydon, Joseph Walker, 27, of Middlesex, and Mark McEwen, 39, of Brixton, with Smith’s murder. A fourth man, 33, was released without charge.

Samuels, Walker and McEwen appeared separately at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning to confirm their names, addresses and dates of birth.

Merseyside Police said they do not believe the incident was football or gang related,  they do not believe the victim knew the men who were arrested. Police confirmed that the men charged are Arsenal fans.

Detectives are now searching for video footage of the incident which they believe could have been captured on a camera phone. A spokesperson said they were urgently seeking any witnesses who might have recorded the attack.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out to establish the cause of death.

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