An Ashton-in-Makerfield man convicted of killing a university student in a fight in Liverpool has been jailed for seven years.
Simon Taylor, along with Kevin O'Dea, both 22, were convicted of the manslaughter of Sion Hardy, 24, after they attacked him following a night out in Liverpool city centre last November.
Mr Hardy, a civic design student at Liverpool University, wa
s rushed to hospital but died from a heavy blow to the left side of his neck.
Mr Hardy was the innocent victim of a group attack that was intended for his friend, Stephen Lunne.
During a two-week trial, Liverpool Crown Court heard that O'Dea, a part-time model and corporate host at Manchester United, was "central" in the proceedings.
He had rowed with Mr Lunne and wanted revenge, the prosecution claimed, and launched the assault in an underpass along with Taylor, Richard Faustino and Thomas Canning.
Despite Faustino and Canning being named in the trial as jointly responsible, they were never charged.
Taylor, of Ashton-in-Makerfield, admitted punching Mr Hardy in the face three times but only in self defence.
After 12 hours and 57 minutes deliberation, the jury of nine women and three men delivered their final verdict. They had already found Taylor, who has previous convictions for assaulting a policeman, unanimously guilty of manslaughter but cleared him of murder.
When the guilty verdict came back for O'Dea, of Co Donegal, he broke down in tears and his family and friends sobbed loudly in the public gallery.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2008, All Rights Reserved.
The full article contains 274 words and appears in Press Association newspaper.
