Man jailed over fatal punch after Wakefield pub row

A man who fatally punched a fellow regular at a pub in a row over a phone charger has been jailed for five years after being convicted of manslaughter.

Harry Mannion, 28, punched 62-year-old Tony Powles to the ground during a row at the Red Lion on Batley Road in Wakefield on 9 October.

Powles, a father-of-four who was due to marry his partner the following week, suffered a "catastrophic brain injury" when he hit his head on the floor and died 13 days later, Leeds Crown Court heard.

In a victim impact statement, his daughter Rebecca Powles described him as the "absolute pillar of our family", adding: "He had so many friends and was loved by absolutely everyone who knew him."

Rebecca Powles said the family had been "forced to suffer beyond the boundaries of normal grief", telling the court: "We will never, ever forget having to make the excruciating decision to turn off his life support."

Mannion, himself a father of a five-year-old daughter, had denied manslaughter - claiming to have acted in self-defence - but was found guilty following a trial in June.

The court heard how the pair were both regulars at the Red Lion and had been "pub friends".

At the time Mannion, from Barnsley, was in a relationship with the pub's manager, while Powles had gone there that evening with his family.

Tensions arose when the defendant "took a dim view" of one of Powles's daughters serving behind the bar as part of her training to work there, prosecutor Matthew Harding said.

Later, Mannion was said to have taken exception to Powles's sister, Linda Wilson, using a phone charger belonging to him which had been behind the bar.

An argument ensued and Wilson left the bar.

When Powles found out about the disagreement, CCTV footage showed him approach Mannion at the bar, "when words were exchanged", said Judge Simon Phillips KC.

Powles then threw the charger, catching Mannion on the side of his head, before headbutting him.

About a minute later, when Powles was being restrained with his hands by his side, Mannion "threw a forceful punch at [the victim's] head", Judge Phillips said.

"This was retaliation from you, done in drink, from what had gone on moments before," Judge Phillips told the defendant, who appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds.

Defending Mannion, Charles Blatchford said: "This is a real tragedy. These were pub friends, some of the footage from earlier on in the evening shows them standing around the pool table.

"They had known each other in casual terms for a number of years."

Judge Phillips said the incident had been "out of character" for the defendant, who has no previous convictions.

He had shown concern for Powles after he had been knocked unconscious and had since shown remorse for what had happened, the court heard.

"There is much to be said about you that is positive and to the benefit of the community and to those with whom you associate," said Judge Phillips.

"Your decision has had such devastating consequences."

Mannion was given the lowest sentence available to the judge. He was also made subject to a restraining order against Biltcliffe and Wilson.

Reporting from BBC News contributed to this story.