Man jailed for death of friend (From Western Telegraph)

Man jailed for death of friend

A MONKTON man who accidentally killed his best friend with a single punch was behind bars on Monday after admitting manslaughter.

Stuart Potter, of Gwilliam Court, punched Anthony Finn in the face to stop him swearing at bystanders as the pair queued for a kebab in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, last November. Mr Finn fell backwards, fracturing his skull.

Twenty-one-year-old Potter was jailed for nine months by Oxford Crown Court.

Witnesses described six-foot-five Potter as 'hysterical' as he tried to revive his friend on the floor.

Mr Finn, also 21, was taken to hospital and put on a life-support machine, which his family decided to switch off a week later.

Judge Julian Hall heard how the two colleagues had both drunk over ten pints and at least one alcopop.

The court was told how the men staggered to a kebab van where Mr Finn began insulting staff and customers.

Prosecuting, Peter Ross said: "Mr Finn was aggressive and abusive. He was clearly drunk and people were concerned about his attitude."

Witnesses said Potter tried to calm his friend, but Mr Finn goaded Potter to hit him, which he eventually then did.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mr Finn had 'a slightly thinner than average skull,' and died from a fractured skull caused by his head hitting the pavement.

Nicholas Syfret, defending, said: "It was tragically unfortunate that the blow was such an effective one on the person he had struck. It was to silence his difficult friend. It was momentary exasperation with no thought to causing injury at all.

Mr Syfret said Potter was 'devastated within seconds of causing the injury'. Potter told police: "I did not mean to hit him, it was just like, 'shut up mate, you are causing a scene'."

Judge Julian Hall, sentenced Potter to nine months in prison.

"You and Mr Finn knew each other well. You worked with each other, you drank with each other and on this night, you both had too much to drink," he said.

"It was not you who got awkward. He was abusing people and staggering about. You tried to get him out of trouble.

"There came a moment when you simply swiped him.

"It was quite a blow because you are a big man and you broke his jaw. Down he went and cracked his head on the pavement.

"You did not mean to kill him, you did not mean to do him any serious injury.

"But at the end of the day you did something unlawful and a man died as a result."

The two men had been working together for Laing Construction at the time of the incident.