A HINDLEY man who repeatedly punched a dad-of-two in a pub has been jailed for four years and eight months today for manslaughter.

Craig Cropper, of Arundel Street, was sentenced today at Liverpool Crown for causing the death of Nicholas Sullivan.

Mr Sullivan was punched by Cropper in the Georgia Brown pub on Market Street on January 20.

Cropper, 29, had been out with a group of friends and family on the day of the attack to mark the sixth anniversary since his mother died.

Mr Sullivan was part of the same group and the court heard he and Cropper were friends.

After being out drinking since mid-afternoon, the group made their way to the Last Orders Inn on Market Street.

One member of the group, Keith Roberts, became involved in a confrontation with Cropper and the pair were separated.

Mr Sullivan had acted as a peacemaker in this incident.

Later on in the Georgia Brown pub around 11.40pm, Mr Sullivan and Cropper were involved in a heated argument about the previous incident at the bar.

As tempers frayed, Mr Sullivan delivered a weak blow to Cropper's chin area with "no significant force".

Cropper responded by repeatedly punching the victim and causing him to fall to the ground. 

CCTV footage was replayed in the court and showed the defendant hitting the 51-year-old from the view of two cameras.

When the victim fell to the ground he was left unconscious.

He also suffered a cardiac arrest.

Due to the blows, Nicholas fell unconscious on to the ground and members of the public stepped in to perform CPR while an ambulance was called.
 
He was taken to hospital where he sadly died in the early hours of the morning as a result of the injuries inflicted by Cropper.
 
By this time, Cropper had already contacted police to say that he was involved in an altercation with Nicholas but claimed that he had only hit him once. He was subsequently arrested.

Judge Alan Conrad QC said if the case had gone to a trial, the standard sentence for Cropper would have been seven years.

Judge Conrad QC said: "All too often, at night and day, on the streets or in the licensed premises of our towns and cities, violence flairs up with terrible consequences.

"Sometimes, as in this case, the life of a good person is taken away.

"The effects on the families and loved ones of the tragedy caused is devastating.

Addressing Cropper, he added: "I accept in sentencing that you did not intend to cause death or really serious harm but the use of such violence carries with it the risk of terrible results, as happened here.

"You pleaded guilty to the offence of manslaughter when it was first put to you, and I accept, as do the prosecution, that there should be full credit in the circumstances."

The judge reduced that term by a third after taking into account the defendant's guilty plea and the remorse he has shown since the attack.

He will serve half of his time in custody before being released on license conditions.

Mr Sullivan was nicknamed "Baggo" and a floral tribute was laid outside the Georgia Brown pub for him following his death.

Reacting to the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Nigel Rigby, from Wigan CID, said: “Cropper was fully aware of his actions as he repeatedly beat Nicholas with his fist and now he has more than four years to reflect on that.

“Losing a loved one is always heart-breaking but to have them taken from you because of the brutal actions of one individual is utterly devastating.
 
“Violence is never the answer and ultimately just one punch could prove fatal and rip someone from their family. In this case, Cropper threw more than ten punches.
 
Nicholas’ family said: “The family are still coming to terms with the tragic loss of Nicholas and we miss him so so much, he was a big part of all our lives in so many ways and he was loved by all the family.”