A man who was convicted in January of manslaughter after stabbing an acquaintance during a fight has today had his sentence increased.
Kristian Bailey, 28, stabbed Joe Jennings nine times with a 13cm blade in Yeovil on July 14, 2018, during a fight which broke out over drugs at Bailey's flat.
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One wound to Mr Jenning's heart sadly proved fatal, and he passed away in the stairwell of the flats in Great Western Terrace at around 11.15pm.
Bailey was sentenced to six years imprisonment at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, January 24, after being convicted by a jury of manslaughter the previous day.
However, today (Tuesday, April 9) Bailey's sentence was increased by two years - taking the total up to eight years imprisonment - after Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP referred it for being too low.
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He said: “Taking into account the seriousness of this offending, increasing the length of the sentence was necessary for justice to be done.
"I am pleased the Court of Appeal agreed and I hope that this brings some comfort to the victim’s family.”
Bailey, who was 27 years old at the time, fled the scene before disposing of the knife.
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Witnesses noted Mr Jennings hit Bailey with a wooden statue with sufficient force that it broke. Though it remains unclear how the fight started, or which of the two was the first to use a weapon, witnesses agreed that the fight was over in a matter of seconds.
Bailey initially pleaded not guilty to murder, and claimed throughout his trial he had acted in self defence.
