Teenager who killed a man with a single punch jailed for 5 years

A teenager who killed a man in Dundee with a single punch has been jailed for 5 years.

The 16-year-old, who can't be named for legal reasons, hit John Watt on the cheek causing him to fall and hit his head on the road during the incident in Albert Street back in January.

The 50-year-old suffered skull fractures and died in hospital 14 hours later.

At the High Court in Glasgow the teenager, a first offender, pleaded guilty to the culpable homicide of John, from Dundee.

Passing sentence judge Lord Mulholland said:''Not only has Mr Watt lost his life but the family now have a life sentence of grief.

You will need to live with your actions on that night for the rest of your life.

You accept you have a reputation for being hard, in fact you told the author of the social work report that your behaviour in the community prior to this incident had been increasingly violent and aggressive and that you were trying to show off by your actions.

Violence and a hard reputation takes you no where other than where you are at present, in the dock at the High Court."

The fatal assault took place at Albert Street, Dundee, on January 7, at 3.30am.

John, who is survived by a former partner and a son and daughter, had spent the night in the Abode public house and then the Rewind nightclub.

He left the nightclub just before 3am and started walking home, but in Albert Street he got into a shouting match with teenage partygoers.

The accused and others were leaning out a window and shouting threats.

John was seen with his arms outstretched as if gesturing to fight.

CCTV footage showed him standing outside the flat for about six minutes, before walking away with his hands in his pockets.

At the same time the accused and others came out the flat and the accused ran after him.

When he caught up with John the accused punched him once before he fell backwards and struck his head on the ground.

The accused then ran away.

John was seen found in the road on his back with blood seeping from a head wound and taken to Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, where a CT scan revealed he had sustained multiple skull fractures and bleeding on the brain.

The cause of death was attributed to skull and brain injuries.

When questioned by police the teenager initially claimed he never left the party flat and claimed it was someone else who punched John.

But, police inquiries and CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts revealed he was the killer.

Defence QC Mark Stewart said: ''The accused was extremely shocked when he discovered how serious this was.

There was a blow to the cheek that propelled Mr Watt backwards.

It was not the punch but the propelling backwards that caused the injuries.

There was no bruising to his face. The force of the punch did not cause the injury - it was the fall.''

Yesterday Mr Stewart added: ''He did not seek this confrontation, he did not initiate this confrontation.

He accepts responsibility for it and he accepts responsibility for his actions.''