A NIGHT of prosecco and partying ended with the deaths of two insurance firm colleagues.
Here we take a look at the grisly tale of what happened between Hayden Fitzpatrick and Tom Noakes in a Manchester hotel in September 2018.
FacebookTom Noakes was found in his hotel room after police discovered body of another man who plunged from top floor[/caption]
FacebookWhy Hayden Fitzpatrick and his colleague Tom Noakes’ night ended in violence remains a mystery[/caption]
Who was Tom Noakes?
Tom Noakes was a 29-year-old man from Eccles, Greater Manchester who was murdered at the Britannia Hotel in Manchester city centre in the early hours of September 26, 2018.
He and his colleague Hayden Fitzpatrick, a 21-year-old who also hailed from Manchester, booked a hotel room together after a night out with other colleagues from an insurance firm where they both worked.
During the night, the two men bought cocaine and a magnum of Prosecco.
Analysis of Tom’s phone showed he used the Grindr dating app and another man had visited their hotel room at 3.30 am, leaving just under an hour later.
At some point after 4.45 am, Fitzpatrick violently attacked Tom, bludgeoning him with a magnum bottle of Prosecco.
The assault was described by coroner Andrew Bridgman as “callous, frenzied and seemingly unprovoked,” with Tom suffering multiple blows — the first of which likely rendered him unconscious.
There were no defensive injuries and the coroner concluded that the further blows constituted “gratuitous violence.”
He added: “Why Tom was struck in the first instance will always remain a mystery, as will why Hayden Fitzpatrick continued to assault Tom in this way.”
Paying tribute to Tom, his family said: “Thomas was a fantastic, amazing, loveable man who made us all laugh and was always the life and soul of the party.
“He was a much loved son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend.
“It is with great difficulty that his friends and family have to say goodbye to someone who touched so many lives, and was loved by everyone he met.
“He will be missed so much but never forgotten for the fun, loving and caring person that he was.”
What happened to Hayden Fitzpatrick?
After killing Tom, Fitzpatrick smashed the hotel room window with a fire extinguisher and jumped, falling five stories to his death.
MEN MediaThe crime scene outside the hotel on the morning of the tragedy[/caption]
Police discovered his body outside the hotel at around 5.30 am and subsequently found Tom’s body inside room 130 of the Britannia Hotel after using a key card found in the killer’s wallet.
Paramedics were called, but sadly declared Tom dead at 6.22 am.
Detective Inspector Andy Butterworth said a blood-stained, double-sized bottle of prosecco was found on the bedside table.
During court proceedings, DI Butterworth told the court he was certain that Mr Fitzpatrick acted intentionally.
The police and coroner do not consider Fitzpatrick’s death to be suspicious and no other individuals were sought in connection with the case.
The Mystery of Room 130
An episode from the Channel 5 true crime docuseries Britain’s Hotel Murders investigates the sad case of a celebration gone wrong.
The show tries to shed some light on what transpired inside room 130 that led to such a violent end.
Hotel Murders: The Mystery of Room 130 airs Monday, 14 July at 11.05 pm Channel 5.
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