A POSSE of bouncers lined up like 'a platoon of soldiers' and kicked to death a father-of-two who was on a birthday night out with his family, a court was told.

Frank Buckley, aged 47, was subjected to an 'extremely violent' attack while waiting for a taxi in Swinton, Manchester Crown Court heard.

He was punched and kicked to the ground before being stamped on. Mr Buckley had been out with 15 relatives to celebrate his father-in-law's 65th birthday.

Peter Birkett QC, prosecuting, said the birthday group was attacked by eight bouncers after an incident in Yates's Wine Lodge in Swinton.

'It was an occasion which should have been a happy one, but it ended with one family member, Frank Buckley, being brutally kicked and beaten to death in front of his wife and members of his family,' said Mr Birkett.

Members of Mr Buckley's family were also attacked, with a 72-year-old woman being knocked unconscious.

'The men in Yates's must have been discussing and planning an attack on the group waiting for a taxi.

'They formed a posse and, one after another, they left Yates's by a side door.

'The men from Yates's formed a line. It was like a platoon of soldiers preparing for an attack.'

The attack took place in the early hours of Sunday, March 14, and Mr Buckley died in Hope Hospital a week later.

Daniel Anderson, aged 17, from Swinton, Paul Whittaker, aged 29, from Clifton, and Christopher Zammit, aged 20, from Pendlebury, deny murder and violent disorder.

James Backhouse, aged 31, Gareth Brook, aged 20, Lee Williams, aged 25, Brian Horrocks, aged 37, and Paul Filer, aged 38, all from Swinton, deny violent disorder.

Mr Buckley, a builder, was out with his wife Christina and other relatives to celebrate the birthday of father-in-law John Lancaster.

They ate at Puccini's Italian restaurant before heading next door to Yates's where there was an argument after Mrs Buckley's handbag was taken from her table.

The police were called and the birthday group went outside to get taxis home, but the bouncers followed them after the police left.

The court heard that only Horrocks and Anderson were working on the door at Yates's that night, but that the other defendants were also bouncers.

'The doormen who were at Yates's that night were determined they would set about the group once the police had gone,' he said.

Mr Birkett said Anderson, Whittaker and Zammit were responsible for the attack on Mr Buckley.

'This was a planned attack on Frank Buckley in which each of these men intended to cause him really serious physical injury,' he said.

'Tragically they did more than that. They killed him.'

The court heard that during the attack Anderson said: 'You don't mess with the Swinton lot.'

Proceeding