Jailed for manslaughter after attack outside chip shop

Edward Wood, 50, was sitting on the floor outside Ocean’s Eleven in Leigh when he was attacked by Kevin Darbyshire, 32, and Dwayne Turner, 28,

Both assailants took advantage of Mr Wood’s drunken state as Darbyshire kicked him to the head and Turner punched him in the face.

The pair then rifled through his pockets and stole personal items before leaving the scene in Railway Road on pushbikes shortly before midnight on May 4, said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Darbyshire, of Findlay Street, Leigh, was jailed for 10 years after he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to manslaughter, while Turner, of Railway Road, Leigh, was imprisoned for nine years after he admitted the same offence.

Following sentencing on Thursday at Liverpool Crown Court, David Graham, senior crown prosecutor for CPS North West said: “Kevin Darbyshire and Dwayne Turner carried out an unprovoked attack upon Edward Wood, who was sat on the floor in a drunken state.

“They accused him of spitting at them before each delivering one violent blow to his head and face.

“Darbyshire kicked him once to the head causing him to hit his head on the wall and slump further to the floor. Turner then proceeded to punch him once under the chin.

“Mr Wood had offered no violence to the pair and was highly vulnerable due to him being intoxicated. He was unable to defend himself. Before they left him unconscious on the floor, they rifled through his pockets taking anything they could find. “Today as they begin their prison sentences, they must now face up to the consequences of their violent actions. “I would like to offer my condolences to the friends and family of Edward Wood, our thoughts are very much with them at this time.”

In a statement issued shortly after Mr Wood’s death, his family said they were “deeply saddened with the tragic and meaningless loss” from what they described as “a mindless attack”.

They added: “Edward was a dad of two, Ryan and Daniel, and had just learnt he was to be a grandad later this year and was really looking forward to it. “This news had given him a new spring in his step and he was excited about the future.”