Night time economy offers reassurance on Birmingham nightclub safety amid conviction of Cody Fisher killers

Former Birmingham City academy player Cody Fisher had been on a night out in Birmingham with friends when he was stabbed to death on a dance floor.

The 23 year-old, who also played for Stourbridge and Bromsgrove Sporting academies was knifed inside The Crane nightclub on Adderley Street, Digbeth, on Boxing Day, 2022. The venue has since closed after losing its licence.

He was attacked following an "insignificant" encounter with one of his killers on Christmas Eve at Popworld in Solihull.

Yesterday, at Birmingham Crown Court, after a 10-week trial, Remy Gordon, aged 23, of Cofton Park Drive, Rednal, and Kami Carpenter, aged 22, of Owens Croft, Kings Norton were convicted of murder.Gordon was also found guilty of affray. Reegan Anderson, aged 19, of Brookvale Park Road, Erdington, was cleared of murder, but found guilty of affray.

Lyle Bignon, night time economy ambassador for Birmingham, working on behalf of the Night Time Industries Association, has welcomed the convictions, as well as continued talks between key organisations to ensure the city is a safe place for revellers.

He said: "The night time economy community in Birmingham is pleased to see convictions for the murder of Cody Fisher. Our thoughts remain with Cody’s family and friends throughout this difficult time.

"Even before the tragic incident which led to Cody’s murder, our clubs and late-night venues across Birmingham and the Midlands have been working hard for years to put the safety of the public first.

"As an industry, we have unified and adapted to meet various challenges, including violent incidents, terrorist attacks at home and abroad, and changes to consumer behaviour post-pandemic.

"High-level training for security staff is constantly developing, and state-of-the-art technology in venue management is being rolled out in many locations, including advanced scanning, ID checks and detection systems.

"Several Birmingham night time economy venues lead the way nationally in ensuring the safety, security and welfare of club-goers, and the UK Midlands is also home to several key initiatives to reduce violence of all types in our industry, including Safer Dance, The Daniel Baird Foundation, and 1st & Bowery.

"Whilst violence perpetrated by a very small minority is sadly an unavoidable element of our society, with up to 220,000 people enjoying events in Birmingham on any given night, our workforce is incredibly well-equipped to manage incidents in issues.

"The night time economy community in Birmingham welcomes continued dialogue between key organisations in the city, including West Midlands Police, fire and ambulance services, the city council, and harm and risk prevention agencies to ensure our city is safer than ever."

Cody had accidentally bumped into Gordon at Popworld in Solihull on Christmas Eve and the pair exchanged a few words. But Gordon refused to let it go and set about trying to identify Cody from social media images he found of him on other nights out.

He learned Cody’s name and that he was likely to be at the Crane nightclub on Boxing Day. It was inside the venue, just before midnight, where the victim was surrounded before being headbutted, punched and kicked.

He was stabbed once in the chest and died from the wound at the scene. After trawling CCTV footage and examining social media messages, police identified Gordon, as well as Carpenter and Anderson as being present on the night. The three defendants will be sentenced at a later date.