THE grandmother of an Ellesmere Port teenager who died hours after being assaulted in the streets has spoken out after the gang responsible for the attack was sentenced.

Daniel Ferguson was just 16 when he was attacked by five teenagers in Ellesmere Port in the early hours of March 9, 2017.

He had taken a number of drugs, including an MDMA pill which CCTV footage on the night showed him acquiring from Nathan Green, one of the gang members.

Following the attack, Mr Ferguson's health declined as a result of the drugs overdose and, after being taken to the Countess of Chester Hospital at 4am, he had six cardiac arrests and sadly died.

Judge Patrick Thompson, who sentenced three of the gang members – Green, Jamie Carter and Stewart Tallis, all now living in Chester – on Tuesday at Chester Crown Court, stressed that the assault and the handover of the MDMA pill were not linked with the cause of Mr Ferguson's death.

All pleaded guilty to their respective charges and were locked up in a young offenders institution.

Since the sentencing Carole Ferguson, Daniel Ferguson's grandmother, has spoken on behalf of the family.

She said: "It has been a horrendous time for the family and no sentence will ever be high enough or bring Dan back.

"We are pleased that this has now come to an end and that we have some kind of closure but our life without Dan has only just started.

"I just hope that what happened to Dan can help save the lives of others and deter young people from trying these dangerous drugs."

Green, 18, who was 17 at the time of the assault, was also a dealer in class A drugs such as MDMA and LSD. Having admitted a number of drugs offences in addition to the assault, he was sentenced to a total of four years in a young offenders institution.

Carter, 18, of Brook Street, who was also 17 at the time of the attack, had since caused a public nuisance by scaling a 150ft crane in Hunter Street, Chester on the night of June 7 this year, as well as breaching a community order imposed for battery after he attacked his mother.

For the assault he was sentenced to 12 months in a young offenders institution, and for these two offences he was sentenced to two months each to be served consecutively, meaning his total sentence is 16 months.

Tallis, 19, of Faulkner Street, was sentenced to 12 months in a young offenders institution.

The other two gang members, who are aged 17 and cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced separately. One received an eight-month detention and training order, reduced to six months on appeal, while the other was sentenced to a 12-month rehabilitation order.

Judge Thompson, speaking to the three defendants on Tuesday, told them: "This assault was cowardly, nasty and it's clear from your actions that none of you gave any thought to the welfare of Daniel Ferguson that night.

"This night had tragic consequences for him.

"If ever people needed an explanation of the consequences of class A drugs then this case is it – people behaving like wild animals while under the influence."

Detective Constable Tom Davies added: "This was a sad case and such a waste of a young life. It has been a very difficult 17 months for Daniel's family and I just hope that they can get some kind of closure from the court result.

"This is a stark reminder of just how dangerous illegal drugs are and the destruction they have on the lives of people affected by them.

"Those convicted of assaulting Daniel will have to live with how they treated him at a time when he was at his most vulnerable."