Drinker who fatally punched beloved grandfather who tried to help him outside pub is jailed for ten years
David Darke, a "much loved" father to three daughters, died from head injuries last Christmas
A drinker who fatally punched a "kind" and "inspirational" grandfather who tried to help him outside a pub on a Christmas night out has been jailed for ten years.
Listen to this article
Nathan Gothard, 37, knocked down David Darke, 66, close to the Crown Inn in Appleby Magna, in Leicestershire, on December 21 last year.
A court heard Mr Darke had helped Gothard to his feet after the brute had "lost" a fight with a separate drinker who had been in the pub.
But prosecutors said in his "rage", the defendant then struck his victim "to save his own face".
Read more: Jury discharged in trial of two prisoners accused of murdering Ian Watkins
Mr Darke, who was described in court as a "much-loved" father and an "inspiration to his family", died in hospital from his head injuries.
Gothard had been standing trial at Leicester Crown Court accused of murder but was cleared and instead convicted by jurors of an alternative charge of manslaughter earlier this month.
Passing sentence at the same court on Friday, Judge William Harbage KC told Gothard: "You punched him so hard that he was unconscious before he had hit the ground.
"Your punch caused a bruise to his chin but the consequences of your punch were the severe brain injuries which killed him."
At Gothard's trial, prosecutors said the atmosphere in the pub during the evening was menacing and threatening because of his behaviour.
He had made "unwelcome advances and remarks" towards women in a group with Mr Darke, who had been at their staff Christmas party, and made it clear "it was his terrain – they were in his pub", jurors were told.
After being escorted from the pub by the landlady and her partner, Gothard got into a fight with a man called Ty Fern, who he had been "riling and niggling" in the bar.
Gothard was knocked to the ground and kicked before Mr Darke, a skilled engineer, helped him to his feet, prosecutor Peter Joyce KC said.
Mr Joyce told jurors in his opening speech: "The defendant, in his rage, after losing the fight he had picked, attacked Mr Darke to save his own face."
Gothard, of Church Street, Appleby Magna, told the court he was in fear of Mr Darke, who he claimed "threatened to bury me and put me in the ground".
The judge said Mr Darke was a "much-loved" father of three daughters and an “inspiration to his family for whom Christmas will never be the same again
He added: "This was a tragic, senseless and unnecessary act of fatal violence. If you had gone home when you were encouraged to do so, David Darke would still be alive and you would not be in the dock.
"You were the aggressor in this and you were not acting in self-defence at any point."
All three of the victim’s adult daughters made victim impact statements to the court, with one describing her father as a “courageous, kind and honest” man who would not ignore wrongdoing.
In a statement issued after the sentencing, the victim’s relatives said: "Our family has finally seen the person responsible for Dave's death sentenced.
"Although the sentence shows some accountability, no sentence will ever truly reflect what has been taken from us.
"Dave's only 'crime' that night was stepping in the way of a thug intent on harassing the women and antagonising the men in the group."
The family added: "We have had to endure the unimaginable. We watched Dave’s life support being turned off and then sat through a trial with every painful detail of his final hours repeated in court.
"No family should ever have to experience that. Dave continued to help others.
"Through organ donation, at least four people have been given a chance of life.
"That says everything about the kind of man he was — even in death, he gave to others."
Detective Inspector Kevin Hames, from the East Midlands special operations unit (Emsou) murder investigation team, added: "Dave’s family’s words are humbling to read.
"They have shown immense courage throughout the last five months. Gothard had every opportunity to walk away but he chose to remain outside the pub and his actions that day have devastated a family.
"They will now need to navigate their lives without their loved one. On behalf of the team, I would like to thank them for their courage and understanding."