Royton man jailed following alcohol-fuelled argument that led to a man's death

Jamie Kennedy

A man who viciously assaulted a 60-year-old man during an argument has been jailed after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Police were called to an address on Frances Street in Oldham on 15 October 2021 following reports of a disturbance.

They discovered that Jamie Kennedy, 24, of Garden Terrace, Royton, had assaulted 60-year-old Robert Payne (Bob) after a drunken argument had spilled out onto the street.

Kennedy, along with friends, had attended Robert Payne’s address in the early hours of the 15 October and they all drank alcohol together.

An argument broke out when Kennedy became aggressive to a woman in the house. Robert intervened and Kennedy pushed him onto the couch. The argument spilled out onto the street where Kennedy was seen to punch Robert to the face, Robert fell to the floor and banged his head on the pavement. Kennedy then continued to punch Robert as he lay on the floor unconscious.

Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, who treated Robert for a traumatic brain injury, he was pronounced dead on 18 October 2021.

The Pathologist confirmed that it was very likely that the blow to the head which led Robert to fall backwards and hit his head on the pavement was the cause of his death, although the additional blows, could only have worsened his condition.

Amanda Hilton, partner of Robert Payne said in her Victim Impact Statement: "I can’t imagine my life without Bob. I can’t see what my future will look like. I just want Bob back. I want to turn back time and go back to when Bob was here with me."

Kennedy pleaded guilty to manslaughter on 21 January 2022. On Friday, he was sentenced to four years and eight months imprisonment at Manchester Crown Court

Senior Investigating Officer Phil Reade from GMP’s Major Incident Support Unit, said: “This was a devastating case where an argument fuelled through alcohol got out of hand and a man lost his life.

“Bob was knocked unconscious after one punch but Kennedy callously continued to assault him, causing him to suffer critical injuries that sadly resulted in his death some three days later.

“I hope today’s sentence sends a message that violence is never acceptable and gives Kennedy the time he needs to reflect on how his needless actions lead to someone losing their life.”

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