The father of a man stabbed to death by a violent criminal has spoken of his anguish after learning his son’s killer was allowed to remain free despite breaching his licence after an early release from jail.
Timothy Deakin, 22, was suspected of carrying weapons, dealing drugs and hanging around with a co-defendant, in the weeks before he murdered Michael Hoolickin, 27, outside a pub.
He had just been released after serving half his four year and eight-month sentence for biting off half a man’s ear.
Michael Hoolickin (with his son Ellis) who died after he was stabbed outside a pub in Middleton
In the week’s before Mr Hoolickan’s death, Deakin was charged with a driving offence and repeatedly breached a requirement to be at home for scheduled police visits, an inquest heard.
However he escaped being sent back to jail, and got away with just a written warning.
‘As a family we want a definite change. We don’t want this to happen to another family. It’s nearly killed myself and my wife. It’s absolutely disgraceful, I think, what’s going on’ Michael’s father Gary Hoolickan told the inquest.
Deakin was released from prison on February 23,2016, having passed a drugs test.
He was subjected to ten conditions, including that he stay at first at a hostel for newly released prisoners and abide by a curfew and agree to further drugs testing.
He later tested positive for cannabis and cocaine, which he dismissed as ‘a social thing’.
In October 2016, having been out of jail for eight months, Deakin stabbed Mr Hoolickin five times outside a pub in Middleton, Greater Manchester after he chastised him for hitting a woman.
He was jailed for life, with a minimum of 27 years to serve.
In October 2016, having been out of jail for eight months, Deakin stabbed Mr Hoolickin five times outside a pub in Middleton, Greater Manchester after he chastised him for hitting a woman
Police intelligence from June 2016, sent to the probation service, suggested he had been carrying weapons and had been seen with a co-defendant, both potential breaches of his licence.
When he was charged with a driving offence, the curfew – which had been lifted – was reinstated, although again he was allowed to remain at large, the court heard.
He was also arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis with intent to supply but the court heard no further action was taken.
The inquest heard a risk assessment on his release had concluded there was 71 per cent chance of him committing another violent offence within a year of his release.
Deakin also failed to complete three courses while in prison.
He refused the offer of drug intervention services and had not completed a ‘thinking skills’ course despite claiming to probation staff that he had, the inquest heard.
Garry Hoolickin told the inquest he was unhappy when he heard from a police victim support worker that Deakin was a prolific offender who was being supervised by probation workers at the time of his son’s death.
He said he asked for the matter to be looked into and about nine months after his son died described how probation staff came to his home – but this was only to discuss what would happen when their son’s killer was eventually released from prison.
A week later, he said two different probation workers visited his home, one of them telling him she had seen Deakin the week before he had carried out the murder and that he had failed a drugs test.
He added the officer admitted she should have recalled Deakin to prison immediately and was forced to dismiss one member of staff and suspend another.
Police scene on Cheapside in Middleton after a Mr Hoolickan was stabbed
Mr Hoolickin said the officer agreed with his suggestion that his son was murdered ‘through two members of your staff’.
‘I asked if they had done their job in the right way my son would still be have been alive today and she replied “yes”. It was pretty shocking news. I just could not believe it,’ Mr Hoolickin told the inquest.
He said he was told by the probation worker they were ‘so sorry’ and that ‘there have been mistakes made’.
Rather than being told formally, Mr Hoolickin told the court he was forced to make his own enquiries about Deakin’s history of violence and that he had been taking drugs.
Deakin, he said, had failed drug tests and what happened to his son ‘could have been avoided’.
Earlier, he had described his son as a ‘cracking lad’ who had worked for a window fitting firm and was ‘well loved’ and missed by his son, who was four at the time.
‘He wants to get in a helicopter to visit his dad because he knows he’s up there in the sky,’ said Mr Hoolickin.
Mr Hoolickan was stabbed after he chastised Deakin for being violent towards a woman
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