Single-blow killer condemned for failing to show compassion

THE sister of a man who died after a single punch condemned his attacker for showing “not an ounce of compassion, just coldness”.

- DAVID POWELL Reporter

Paul Ince punched John Ithell after Mr Ithell had turned up at a flat mistakenly thinking he could buy drugs.

The 31-year-old, of Cefn Road, Abenbury, Wrexham, was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter on October 17 after a trial following the incident in the early hours of June 12, 2023. A judge jailed him for eight years at Mold Crown Court on Tuesday.

In a statement, the victim's sister Claire Wicks said John, or Bronco as he was affectionately known, was a “loving father, grandfather, stepson, brother and uncle” A brother to sisters Mandy, Janet and Claire, he loved fishing and motorbikes.

In her statement, read out by junior prosecuting counsel Jemma Gordon, Claire said of Bronco: “He was not perfect. He was human, fragile, funny and unique but loved unconditionally.

“The path he chose was sometimes difficult and sometimes caused consternation” but he did not deserve the “catastrophic” injuries he sustained. The “violent and senseless manner” of his death contributes to his family’s trauma, said Ms Wicks.