TWO men have been jailed for a total of 19 years for the manslaughter of a dad-of-two from Leigh.

Kevin Darbyshire, 32, of Findlay Street, and Dwayne Turner, 28, of Railway Road, were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today, Thursday, after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing in July.

CCTV footage played in court showed Darbyshire kick Edward Wood in the head after the men falsely accused the 50-year-old of spitting at Turner.

The force of the blow jolted Mr Wood's head backwards into a wall and as he slumped unconscious in a chip shop doorway Turner punched him in the chin 'at full whack'.

Darbyshire then rifled through Mr Wood’s pockets and took £5 before the men rode away on their bikes.

Mr Wood suffered a severe brain haemorrhage and was pronounced dead in hospital less than an hour later.

Judge David Aubrey said: “Mr Wood was motionless and unresponsive.

"You knew he was seriously injured – and in fact he was dying – and neither of you cared at all.

“At the time Mr Wood was awaiting the birth of his first grandson, who he will never see, and his grandson will never now his grandfather.”

He handed Darbyshire – who has 118 previous convictions, including for wounding and possessing a knife – a 10-year prison sentence, which was extended by three years due to a previous community order being revoked.

Turner was imprisoned for nine years.

The attack happened outside the Ocean’s Eleven Chip shop on Railway Road, Leigh, shortly before midnight on May 4.

Mr Wood, who was known as Eddie, was sat on the pavement with his friend Craig Baron outside the chip shop when Turner and soon after Darbyshire turned up on their bikes.

Darbyshire kicked Mr Wood just four seconds after arriving at the scene with 'full force straight in the front of his face', said Nigel Power, prosecuting.

He added: “The deceased then shut down and the CCTV shows him slumped and still. Just seven seconds later Turner punched him at full whack.”

The court heard Darbyshire and Turner had both been drinking alcohol and taking drugs that night and Mr Wood was 'heavily intoxicated'.

After the attack Darbyshire begged a passing woman not to call the police and asked a resident at the Railway Road Hostel where he lived to give him an alibi.

He also burnt his clothing the following day.

In a prepared statement Darbyshire claimed Mr Wood owed him money and that he had kicked him at the top of his chest, not in the face.

He also claimed it was Turner's punch that 'seemed to knock him out'.

Judge Aubrey ruled that Darbyshire initiated the violence and poses a 'significant risk of causing serious harm' to others.

He told him: “It has been said you have spiralled out of control, and in the court’s judgement you are out of control."

Steven Swift, defending Darbyshire, said his client has some learning difficulties and that he wished to apologise to the victim’s family.

Turner's defence barrister Gordon Cole said he had been affected by drink and drugs when he threw a solitary punch and was sorry for his actions.

In statements Mr Wood's mum said his death had left 'a massive void in my life' and his son Daniel stated he had been 'really excited' about becoming a granddad.

A toxicology report revealed Mr Wood had traces of morphine in his blood, which the court heard was consistent with illicit heroin abuse rather than morphine use.

His blood also contained traces of cocaine and an anti-depressant.

Detective inspector Andy Naismith, of Greater Manchester Police’s major incident team, said: “Edward’s death was a tragic event which left his loved ones absolutely devastated.

“Turner and Darbyshire assaulted Edward in a cowardly attack on a lone man which sadly led to his death and now they will pay the price for their crime.”