A man who gave a thumbs-up gesture to the courtroom has been jailed for five years for the killing of a 50-year-old father.
Matthew Mahony, 33, had pled guilty to manslaughter after claiming he was acting in self defence against Matthew Carroll.
The jury heard how Mahony fire a ‘cheap shot’ at Carroll after trouble flared up outside the pub both men had been drinking in separately in August 2021.
Carroll, who was described as ‘kind and loving’ by his family, fell to the ground and cracked his head off the surface, suffering fatal injuries which resulted in his death less than 24 hours later in hospital.
Mahony, from Edgbaston, fled the scene but later turned himself into the police two days later, according to Birmingham Live.
The men had been spending the evening in the Slug and Lettuce pub in Brindleyplace when the punch-up took place.
Detective Inspector Ade George, from the West Midlands Police Homicide team, said: “This is a tragic case where many people’s lives have been destroyed.
“Mr Carroll was an innocent bystander who tried to diffuse a situation that had got out of control and Mahony mistook this for him being involved, which was not the case.
“Violence is never the answer and sadly this terrible act of violence has left a family without a father and grandfather.
“My thoughts remain with the family of Mr Carroll and although no sentence will ever bring him back, I hope they can now gain some closure.”
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