A WARRINGTON man has been jailed for seven years for the manslaughter of another man during an argument at a house in the town.
Stephen Whittle, aged 30, (pictured) formerly of Barrymore Avenue, Westy, was sentenced following a five day trial at Chester Crown Court.
He was originally charged with the murder of John Wright, aged 45, but was convicted of manslaughter.
The court heard Mr Wright, also of Warrington, was found dead at a house in Slater Street, Latchford on Friday, March 4.
The father of three had died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and neck.
The court was told the two men had been staying at a mutual friend’s house on Slater Street, and all three of them had spent the day drinking.
During the course of the evening Whittle attacked Mr Wright, inflicting a number of blows, which resulted in his death.
Whittle initially told police he had gone out and come back to find Mr Wright collapsed on the floor, however he later changed his account, stating he had become involved in an argument with Mr Wright over a bottle of vodka, during which the other man threatened to stab him.
Whittle claimed Mr Wright then tried to punch him but missed, so he retaliated. He claimed he only punched Wright once, causing him to fall to the floor.
Following the assault Whittle woke the householder up in a panic and told him to call an ambulance.
Detective Inspector Dougie Shaw said after the hearing: “Whittle’s account was not consistent with the findings of the post mortem. Wright had clearly been severely beaten and the injuries he suffered could not have been the result of only one punch as Whittle claimed.
“Whittle’s actions have resulted in Mr Wright’s children being left without a father and our thoughts are with his family at this time. I hope seeing Whittle punished for his actions goes some way in helping them seek some sort of closure on what is a terrible episode in all their lives.”
