FIVE men who bullied a work colleague at an East Lancashire factory into jumping to his death from a minibus on the M66 have been jailed for a total of thirteen years.

Manchester Crown Court heard how 21-year-old Christian Rodgers had "had enough" when he leapt out of the van at 70mph last September.

Mr Rodgers had been among a group of Manchester men and women working for a Liverpool-based employment agency, packing Cadbury's chocolate selection boxes at the factory in Brierfield.

Dominic Campbell, 30, of Ashton-Under-Lyne and 22-year-old Nicholas Brown, of Hyde, admitted his manslaughter and assaulting his brother Anthony.

Barry Eccles, 19, James Neil, 18, and Michael O'Connor, 17, all of Middleton, each admitted violent disorder.

Judge David Poole told them: "It's impossible to avoid the conclusion that this was chilling and heartless conduct.

"The serious aspect of this attack was that it was not a sudden flurry of violence but a cold and calculated assault. "They were subjected to a continued barrage of punches, kicks and other blows that included Christian being stamped on his head.

"Each of you were party to a continual assault that must have lasted up to 30 minutes in the time it took to travel from Burnley to Bury. It was savage and prolonged."

The court had been told Christian, who lived at Ashton, and his brother Anthony, 24, of Bredbury, had been the subject of a "sustained and brutal assault" at the hands of their five workmates.

Christian was so fearful of another attack he opened the rear door of the 14-seater LDV Convoy van and jumped out to his death on the motorway near Bury early one morning after the group was returning home from their nightshift.

He died immediately from a fatal head wound. Other drivers rushed to his aid but not the five bullies.

They stayed on the bus and concocted a plan to blame Christian's death on his brother Anthony, telling police the two had been fighting between themselves.

This led police to initially arrest Anthony and charge him with manslaughter before the real story emerged.

Moments before he was heard to say he'd "had enough" while the minibus driver, David Oliver, said the five-strong gang had acted like "animals who'd lost control and were frenzied."

Campbell and Brown were each jailed for five years.

Neil was sentenced to two years in a Young Offenders' Institution, while O'Connor was given 18 months.

Eccles was placed on probation for 12 months after the court heard he had served the equivalent of a nine-month sentence.

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