THE WIDOW of murdered Garry Newlove told senior police officers that her husband might still be alive if they had responded immediately to the call.

"Everyone is entitled to have a police officer come out," Helen Newlove told the Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales Conference (PSAEW) yesterday.

Her 47-year-old husband died three days after being kicked "like a football" by thugs outside his home in Padgate, Warrington, in August last year.

Gang ringleader Adam Swellings, aged 19, of Meredith Street, Crewe; and Stephen Sorton, aged 17, and Jordan Cunliffe, aged 16, both from Warrington, were jailed for life. Swellings was sentenced to a minimum 17 years, Sorton at least 15 years and Cunliffe a minimum of 12 years.

Mrs Newlove, aged 46, said: "If they came at that first call, I'm not saying they might not have assaulted him, but I do believe Garry may have been alive, to what degree I don't know but at least it would have stopped.

"There were two gangs and it would have stopped what was criminal damage escalating to a murder."

Mrs Newlove said her husband Garry had gone out on the night he was assaulted partly because of concern for a neighbour, a woman who was home alone with a baby.

She said her neighbour had phoned police that night while gang members stood outside her window "put their hoods up and smiled".

Mrs Newlove said that whereas motorway emergency services provided immediate assistance to women alone with a baby, the police did not.

She also said that the public is told by police that they don't come out for criminal damage, and said it was not good enough to be told by a police call handler you are 15th in the queue when reporting a crime.