Cody Fisher was attacked just before 11.45 p.m. at the Crane venue in Adderley Street, Digbeth, according to West Midlands Police. Cody was on a night out with friends when he was approached by a group of people. The 23-year-old victim of a stabbing on the dancefloor of a Birmingham nightclub on Boxing Day has been identified by police. Despite efforts to save him, he died about 30 minutes after officers arrived, according to the police.

Security searches at the event were criticised by revellers, who described a “moody” atmosphere inside the venue. Sydnee Power, from Birmingham, described “groups of lads” who were “looking to cause trouble. As soon as me and my friends walked in, we got a very strange vibe and the atmosphere wasn’t good,” the 23-year-old told the PA news agency. “There were just groups of lads everywhere, most of them looked moody. A lot of them were clearly there to cause trouble; they weren’t there to enjoy the music.” The incident was a “disaster waiting to happen,” according to an 18-year-old man from Wolverhampton who did not want to be identified. “Me and the friend I was with, not once were we asked to clear our pockets out, even though mine were full,” he said of the security searches. I was wearing cargo pants with lots of pockets. “They didn’t even touch me while searching me; they just followed the outline of my body with their hands and tapped me to say go on through. “Obviously you want everyone to have a good time and enjoy themselves (but) when we got in I said to my friend: ‘That’s the worst search I’ve ever seen’. Anything could have been brought in by anyone.” In light of the incident, The Crane cancelled its New Year’s Eve event and stated that it was cooperating with police as they conducted their investigation. We are all deeply shocked and saddened that a man lost his life last night as our Boxing Day event came to a close,” a statement on the club’s Instagram page said. Our hearts go out to the victim, his family, and his friends. We are working closely with West Midlands Police as they investigate this crime. We urge anyone who witnessed this incident or has information that could assist West Midlands Police to contact them directly. We do not believe it is appropriate to hold our New Year’s Eve event under these conditions. All ticket holders will be contacted and refunded directly by the ticket providers.” Hundreds of people were present at the nightclub at the time of the stabbing, according to police, who urged any witnesses to come forward. This was a young man enjoying himself with friends on a Boxing Day night out, and our thoughts are with his friends and family today,” said Detective Inspector Michelle Thurgood, who is leading the investigation. “We know hundreds of people were in the nightclub at the time. While we have spoken with a number of them, we still need to hear from anyone who was present and witnessed or even filmed what occurred. We believe the victim was approached by a group of people before being stabbed, so we’re working hard to identify everyone who was involved.” The victim’s family has been informed and will be supported by specialist officers, according to the police. The scene is still closed while evidence is being gathered, and neighbourhood officers will be patrolling the area in the coming days to reassure residents.

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