Cody Fisher: Friend of nightclub stab victim saw group of 'masked' men coming towards them

ITV Central's Rosie Dowsing reports from Birmingham Crown Court

The friend of a footballer who was stabbed to death in a Birmingham nightclub has told a jury he saw a masked group 'aggressively' walking towards them on the dancefloor, moments before they were attacked.

Cody Fisher, aged 23, died after being stabbed in Crane nightclub in Digbeth on Boxing Day in 2022.

On Thursday, Birmingham Crown Court heard evidence from his friend, Daniel Vann, who was also attacked that night, as three men stand trial charged with murder and affray.

Remy Gordon, 23, Kami Carpenter, 22 and Reegan Anderson, 19, deny all charges against them.

Daniel Vann, who described Cody as his 'best mate', told the jury he was also attacked on the dance-floor.

He said the group of men headed towards them 'acting rough,' with their 'attention on Cody'.

He added that the brawl started with a headbutt, after one of them shouted 'come outside.'

Mr Vann described one male landing an 'aggressive' punch on Cody's chin, after which Cody started 'fighting back, throwing punches.'

The witness went onto describe the reaction of the group to Cody's retaliation, he said: "They all started kicking and punching him.

"I tried to pull Cody out of there. I tried to pull them out the way to get to Cody.

"They then turned their attention towards us as well. They started throwing kicks and punches towards me."

Mr Vann said Cody fell backwards and landed on him during the altercation, and then Mr Vann felt like he was being dragged away.

He said: "I was getting repeatedly kicked.

"I had my hands and arms over my face trying to protect my head."

Mr Vann said by this point he was in the bar area, separate to the dance-floor where he had been with Cody.

After being 'repeatedly kicked' on the ground he managed to get away and took cover behind the bar.

After returning to the dance-floor where Cody was attacked, Mr Vann said the 23-year-old was being given CPR, and Cody's girlfriend was 'screaming and crying her eyes out.'

Asked by the prosecution, Michael Duck KC, if he had seen any evidence of a weapon throughout the incident, Mr Vann replied, 'no'.

Mr Vann was one of six civilian witnesses to give evidence on Wednesday and Thursday, all of them having been in Crane nightclub at the time of the incident.

Another witness said the night was meant to be about 'talking, dancing and having a laugh' before it took a tragic turn ending in the death of Cody Fisher.

Cody Fisher was a footballer who played for Stratford Town FC and was a member of the Birmingham City academy.

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