'Accrington Stanley, who are they?': Famous milk ad boy jailed for murder

22 February 2023, 16:06

A murderer who appeared in a famous TV advert as a child has been jailed for life after beating another man to death in a drug den.

Kevin Spaine, 43, who delivered the line "Accrington Stanley, who are they?" in a famous 1989 advert for the Milk Marketing Board, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years at Liverpool Crown Court today.

Spaine - who wasn't shown on camera in the advert - was jailed for the murder of Learoy Venner, who he kicked and punched during a brutal assault in Anfield, Liverpool.

Watch the 1989 Accrington Stanley milk advert

John Harrison KC, who represented Spaine in court, said he was once a "very promising young footballer" but had sunk "into a life of criminality", accumulating over 100 offences including wounding and assault with intent to rob, according to the Liverpool Echo.

Harrison said: "This defendant’s life has been ruined and dominated by the abuse of illegal drugs. He has a very long history of criminal offending."

In the advert, a 9-year-old Spaine delivered the famous line after young star Paul Rice pours himself a glass of milk and says: "It's what Ian Rush drinks. He said if I drink lots of milk, when I grow up I'm going to be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley."

The attack reportedly took place while Spaine was attempting to enter an address described as a "drug den".

A post-mortem found that Venner suffered "multiple forceful blows," and a brain injury trauma "associated with a car crash or a fall from height."

During the sentencing, Judge Cummings described the incident as a "ferocious attack" and concluded that Spaine was a "shocking liar" who had left the victim "unconscious on his back and breathing in his own blood" for half an hour before he died.

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