Nathan Gothard convicted of manslaughter over fatal punch outside Leicestershire pub

A man has been found guilty of manslaughter after fatally punching another man outside a pub in Leicestershire.

Nathan Gothard was convicted at Leicester Crown Court over the death of David Darke, 66, near The Crown Inn in Appleby Magna.

The court heard Darke was knocked to the ground during an earlier fight outside the bar, before helping Gothard back to his feet.

Prosecutors said Gothard then attacked him again, causing a skull fracture.

Gothard, 37, denied murder and an alternative manslaughter charge, but the jury returned a guilty verdict on the lesser count on Thursday.

He stood in the dock with his head bowed after the decision was announced.

The case matters because it centres on a single punch that led to a death, and on the jury's rejection of Gothard's claim that he acted in fear of another attack.

The trial also heard that the atmosphere inside the pub had become argumentative before the violence outside.

According to the evidence heard in court, Gothard had arrived at the pub shortly before 4pm and later behaved inappropriately towards members of a group who had come from a staff Christmas party at a nearby hotel.

#manslaughter #LeicesterCrownCourt #ApplebyMagna #TheCrownInn #NathanGothard