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Long Bennington man jailed after admitting manslaughter following Traveller fight




A man who admitted manslaughter after a father died following a Traveller fight has been jailed for eight years.

Dean Gray, 46, died in hospital two days after being punched in a family feud, falling to the ground and hitting his head on a concrete plinth.

The incident took place at Fairfield Motors on Main Road, Long Bennington, on August 11 last year.

Terence Hardy was jailed for eight years for manslaughter.
Terence Hardy was jailed for eight years for manslaughter.

Terence Hardy, 35, of Main Road, Long Bennington, denied murder and was cleared after a trial at Lincoln Crown Court, but had previously admitted manslaughter.

Hardy’s father in law Stuart Gray Snr, 63, was found not guilty of manslaughter and possession of an offensive weapon.

Lincoln Crown Court heard Dean Gray walked into Grantham Hospital A&E after the incident, with blood pouring from his head.

Much of what happened was captured on CCTV and witnessed by Dean Gray's children, the jury heard.

Andrew Selby QC, mitigating, said Mr Hardy referred to himself as a Gypsy, and his wife and children had left their home on the site following the incident.

The court heard Mr Hardy was a working man, with no previous convictions, and the sole bread winner for his family.

Mr Selby said Mr Hardy's intention on the day was to resolve matters and not to cause really serious injuries to Dean Gray.

"As a result of the challenge that was laid down, Mr Hardy wanted to resolve matters sooner rather than later," Mr Selby added.

"No sooner does Mr Hardy arrive at the scene, Mr Gray removes his top, and he would have been under no illusion that a fight was going to take place.

"This was a disagreement between two sides of the same family."

Mr Selby said it was significant that Mr Gray did not mention the assault when he attended Grantham Hospital.

"Even in Mr Gray's mind this was an issue between two men," he said.

Passing sentence, Judge Simon Hirst said he did not accept that it was Mr Gray who issued the challenge for a fight.

The judge told Hardy: "You decided you were going to fight Dean Gray to recover your pride.

"In my view he removed his shirt because he could see no way of avoiding a fight.

"He kept his arms by his side, and made no aggressive move towards you."

Judge Hirst told Hardy he also rejected his claim that Mr Gray hit him on two or three occasions while the CCTV was blocked by a pillar.

The judge told Hardy it was a brutal attack on Mr Gray which continued with punches when he was offering no resistance.

Having read the victim impact statements from Mr Gray's family, Judge Hirst said it was clear he was a much-loved father, husband and son.

Judge Hirst said: "The impact on Mr Gray's children of watching their father being killed must be very significant."



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