Bridgwater man jailed after admitting manslaughter
32-year-old Thomas Webber has been jailed for the death of Simon Edney
A man from Bridgwater has been jailed after admitting the manslaughter of a 'loving and caring' man from the town.
32-year-old Thomas Webber from Old Taunton Road has been put behind bars for ten years for the death of Simon Edney.
The 59-year-old died from a head injury following an assault last year.
Today (14 June), Bristol Crown Court heard that on Monday 13 June, an ambulance was called to Old Taunton Road, in Bridgwater, after a man had been assaulted and sustained a serious head injury.
Simon Edney had been taken to hospital following the incident but died on Saturday 30 July.
Avon and Somerset Police's Major Crime Investigative Team conducted a thorough investigation into his injuries, with officers later finding they'd been involved in an argument earlier that Monday.
During the argument, police say Webber was seen to have punched Simon Edney.
Moments later, Webber approached the victim again before hitting him to the floor, causing him to sustain a significant head wound.
'His death will impact us for the rest of our lives'
In personal statements written by Simon's sister, daughters and his mother, Simon was described as a 'good man', who was a 'funny, quirky and wonderful' father, grandfather and brother.
Wendy, Simon's sister, added: "I think about my brother every day, his loss is felt so deeply by myself and the rest of the family. He was a good man, son, brother, father, and grandad.
"I find it so upsetting that he is no longer here to live his life and share more times with us all, especially with his daughters and grandchildren. He was such a family man."
Simon's daughters, Sarah, Amy and Cheryl, said: "It is impossible to put the full impact of the loss of our dad into words. He was a loving, caring, supporting, funny, quirky, wonderful father and grandfather who was with us every step of our lives.
"He was there for us through all the good and bad. His death will continue to impact all of us for the rest of our lives.
"We are, and have always been, a close-knit family that never goes long without seeing each other and the heartbreak of not seeing our dad two or three times a week hits us harder with each week that goes by since we lost him.
"We miss his ability to make us smile and laugh at the worst of times, like these that we are going through now. We will always love and remember our dad and his death has forever changed our lives."
Simon's mother, Florence, said: "Simon was my rock who was always there for me.
“I cannot put into words how much his loss has affected me, or express how impossible it is to move on after his death.
“He was a big support to me and a massive part of my life, I will miss him every day and I will never get over the loss of my son and the way he was taken from me.”
'When you choose to be violent, death is always a risk'
Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Mark Newbury, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “While Webber may not have intended to kill his victim, his actions led to Simon’s death and, when you choose to be violent, this is always a risk.
“This is an incredibly sad incident in which a much-loved family man was taken too soon. Our hearts go out to Simon’s family as they continue to come to terms with the devastating loss and they continue to be supported by a specially-trained family liaison officer.
“We hope this sentence will give the family some justice and will aid them in coming to terms with what has happened.”