A judge said the victim had ‘posed no threat – at any stage’
An off-duty pub doorman who fatally punched a drunken man after a night out has been for over 13 years.
Dylan Maxwell, 28, repeatedly punched 25-year-old Luke Thompson, causing fatal head injuries. Mr Thompson died in hospital 10 days later, caused by a fracture to the back of the skull and a bleed to the brain, which a court heard was irrefutably caused by the punch.
A jury at Leeds Crown Court found Maxwell, of Wood View Avenue, Castleford, guilty of manslaughter by a unanimous verdict after a five-day trial in May, rejecting the claim he was pre-empting an attack and hit out first in self-defence.
The court heard that Maxwell and Mr Thompson were strangers and had both been out in Pontefract town centre when the incident happened on Front Street in the early hours of November 19, 2023.
Maxwell had finished his shift as a pub door supervisor in the town and gone on to a club. Later, he left in a taxi. He asked the driver to stop the car on Front Street so that he could talk to a passing woman, who he had earlier been with at the club.
It was suggested Mr Thompson had attempted to intervene in a heated discussion between the two.
During the trial, prosecutor David Outterside told the jury that it was not self defence “in a million years”.
He added: “They were punches thrown in anger at a drunk man who posed no threat to him and the defendant knew it. Luke Thompson had the temerity to challenge him. This was about bravado and ego, not lawful self-defence.”
Mr Outterside said that when Mr Thompson got back to his feet, “unsteady and disoriented” after the first punch, Maxwell struck him twice more and Mr Thompson fell back, hitting his head on the ground, where he was knocked unconscious.
Maxwell was described as “bouncing on his toes like a boxer, ready to deliver another blow.”
Shortly after the assault, a passing car ran over Mr Thompson as he lay in the road, causing a broken leg and pelvis injuries. The court was told these injuries did not contribute to his death.
Leeds Crown Court heard that Maxwell was under police investigation at the time of the incident after a search of his home in December 2021.
Officers found £1,610 in cash, cocaine with a street value of £1,400, cannabis with a street value of up to £1,380, as well as a knuckle duster, three knives, steroids and 13 mobile phones.
He later pleaded guilty to a series of drug offences, including possession with intent to supply Class A cocaine and Class B cannabis.
In mitigation, defence counsel Abdul Iqbal KC told the court that his client had no previous criminal record before his arrest for drug offences in 2021.
He described the death of Mr Thompson as “one shameful act” that his client has great remorse for.
Mr Iqbal said Maxwell had shown a positive approach towards the future since his arrest, had begun working within the prison estate, and was at low risk of reoffending.
Passing sentence earlier today, Judge Robin Mairs sentenced the 28-year-old to a total of 13 years and 10 months in prison for the manslaughter and drug offences.
“He put his hands up with open palms and backed away, struggling to keep his balance,” he told Maxwell.
“Luke Thompson was no threat to you – at any stage. The last two blows were aimed at a man who was retreating and already unsteady from the first blow. You intended to cause harm, and then you ran away.”
Judge Mairs thanked Mr Thompson’s family for the “courage and stoicism” they displayed throughout the trial and offered his condolences for their “unfathomable” loss.
Source – Yorkshire Evening News
