Man who killed 'much-loved' grandfather outside pub jailed for 10 years

A man who killed a "much-loved" grandfather after losing a fight outside a pub has been jailed for 10 years for manslaughter.

Days before Christmas last year, Nathan Gothard, 37, knocked David Darke, 66, to the ground near the Crown Inn in Appleby Magna, Leicestershire, causing his skull to crack.

The victim, a father-of-three described as an "inspiration to his family for whom Christmas will never be the same", died in hospital from brain injuries.

Gothard was cleared of murder but convicted of an alternative charge of manslaughter earlier this month after around two-and-a-half hours of deliberations.

Read more:
TV presenter Judith Chalmers dies
Virginia Giuffre's family react to Andrew investigation

Passing sentence on Friday, Judge William Harbage KC said: "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.

"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."

Leicester Crown Court heard the atmosphere at the venue, on 21 December, was menacing and threatening because of Gothard's behaviour.

Jurors were told he made "unwelcome advances and remarks" towards women in a group with Mr Darke, who had been at their staff Christmas party, making it clear to them "it was his terrain - they were in his pub".

After he was escorted from the pub by the landlady and her partner, Gothard got into a fight with a man, named Ty Fern, who he had been "riling and niggling" in the bar.

Gothard was knocked to the ground and kicked, before Mr Darke helped him to his feet, prosecutor Peter Joyce KC said.

'Courageous, kind and honest'

In his opening speech, Mr Joyce had told jurors: "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".

All three of Mr Darke's daughters made victim impact statements to the court, with one describing her father as a "courageous, kind and honest" man who refused to ignore wrongdoing.

'Dave continued to help others'

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."

(c) Sky News 2026: Man who killed 'much-loved' grandfather outside pub jailed for 10 years