Man jailed following death of man in Weymouth
It follows an assault at an address in Dorchester Road
A man's been sentenced to 6 years in prison following the death of a man during an assault in Weymouth.
48-year-old Mark Robert Bosworth Dorchester Road in Weymouth, was found guilty on Thursday 11 March 2021 of the manslaughter of 32-year-old David Andrew Thomson following a trial at Winchester Crown Court.
During the afternoon of Saturday 4 April 2020 a group of residents and visitors were gathered in the courtyard of a shared housing address on Dorchester Road. Some of the group had been drinking large quantities of alcohol.
An altercation occurred involving the victim and a female member of the group, where it is said that she was assaulted.
One of the group rang the owner of the shared house and made him aware that there were people present who should not be there.
At around 4.05pm Mr Thomson went upstairs and was subsequently involved in a confrontation with Bosworth. Mr Thomson was pushed down the stairs.
Unresponsive on the floor
The owner of the house, who was monitoring the CCTV system, witnessed the assault and made a 999 call to Dorset Police at around 4.10pm. Officers attended, along with the ambulance service, and they found Mr Thomson unresponsive on the courtyard floor.
Later that evening officers received an update from the hospital that Mr Thomson had sustained a serious head injury that was potentially life-threatening. He sadly died on the morning of Sunday 5 April 2020.
Following his death, a full investigation was launched by detectives from Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT).
Pushed down the stairs
During a police interview, Bosworth admitted to pushing the victim down the stairs, but said that he didn’t want him to sustain any lasting injuries. He said that alcohol had possibly clouded his judgement and he may have exerted a bit too much force.
A post-mortem examination was carried out on Monday 6 April 2020, which concluded that Mr Thomson died as a result of a head injury.
Detective Inspector Wayne Seymour, of MCIT, said:
“This was a totally avoidable and tragic incident that has sadly resulted in the death of a man.
“This case demonstrates that any level of violence can lead to devastating consequences.
“I hope the verdict of the jury today will bring some sense of closure for Mr Thomson’s family and friends during what has been an extremely difficult time. Our thoughts continue to remain with them.”