Nathan Gothard jailed: Man, 37, killed ‘much-loved’ grandfather after losing fight outside pub in ‘senseless act of fatal violence’

A man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for punching his 66-year-old grandfather to death outside a bar.

Nathan Gothard, 37, attacked David Darke near the Crown Inn in Appleby Magna, Leicestershire, just days before Christmas last year.

The attack caused Mr Darke to fall and suffer a fatal skull fracture.

Jurors at Leicester Crown Court acquitted Gothard of murder but found him guilty of the alternative charge of manslaughter earlier this month after nearly two-and-a-half hours of deliberation.

Sentencing at the same court on Friday, Judge William Harbage KC said the victim, who died in hospital from brain damage, was a “much loved” father of three daughters and “an inspiration to his family for whom Christmas will never be the same again”.

He told Gothard: “You punched him so hard he lost consciousness before he hit the ground.

“Your punch caused a bruise to his jaw, but the consequences of your punch were severe brain injuries that killed him.

“This was a tragic, senseless and unnecessary act of deadly violence.

“If you had gone home when you were encouraged to do so, David Darke would still be alive and you would not be in the dock.

“You were the aggressor in this and at no point did you act in self-defense.”

At Gothard’s trial, prosecutors said the atmosphere at the Crown Inn on the evening of Dec. 21 was menacing and threatening because of Gothard’s behavior.

Jurors were told he made “unwelcome advances and remarks” towards women in a group with Mr Darke, who was at his team’s Christmas party, and made it clear “this was his space, they were in his bar”.

After being escorted out of the bar by the landlady and her partner, Gothard got into a fight with a man named Ty Fern, whom he “annoyed and giggled” in the bar.

Prosecutor Peter Joyce KC said Gothard was knocked to the ground and kicked before Mr Darke, a skilled engineer, helped him to his feet.

Mr Joyce told jurors in his opening statement: “After losing a challenge the defendant angrily attacked Mr Darke to save his own face.”

Gothard, of Church Street, Appleby Magna, told the court he was afraid of Mr Darke and claimed Darke “threatened to bury me and bury me”.

All three of the victim’s adult daughters made victim impact statements to the court; one described his father as a “brave, kind and honest” man who did not turn a blind eye to injustice.

In a statement following the sentencing, the victim’s relatives said: “Our family has finally seen the person responsible for Dave’s execution sentenced.

“While the sentence shows some responsibility, no sentence will fully reflect what has been taken from us.

“Dave’s only ‘crime’ that night was stepping into the path of a thug who wanted to harass the women and anger the men in the group.

The family added: “We have had to endure unimaginable things.

“We watched as Dave’s life support was turned off and then attended a hearing where every painful detail of his final hours was replayed in court.

“No family should have to go through this.

“Dave continued to help others.

“Thanks to organ donation, at least 4 people were given a chance at life.

“That says everything about the kind of man he was; the things he gave to others, even in death.”

Detective Inspector Kevin Hames, of the East Midlands special operations unit (Emsou) murder investigation team, said: “It is shameful to read the words of Dave’s family.

“They have shown tremendous courage over the last five months.

“Gothard had every opportunity to walk away but he chose to stay outside the pub and his actions that day devastated a family.

“They will now have to live their lives without their loved ones.

“On behalf of the team, I want to thank them for their courage and understanding.”