This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/attorney-general-to-review-sentence-given-to-a-man-who-killed-a-stranger-with-a-single-punch-in-a-cycling-dispute-9154528.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Attorney General to review sentence given to a man who killed innocent pedestrian with a single punch after cycling row | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The Attorney General is to review the four-and-a-half-year sentence given to a man who killed a pedestrian with a single punch over a dispute about cycling on the pavement. | |
| Dominic Grieve is considering whether to refer the jail term handed to Lewis Gill, 20, for killing 40-year-old Andrew Young to the Court of Appeal for being unduly lenient, his office confirmed today. | |
| Gill, from Sutton, Surrey, was jailed for four-and-a-half years by Salisbury Crown Court on Friday. | |
| Legal experts said he could be free within two. | Legal experts said he could be free within two. |
| Mr Young, who suffered from Asperger syndrome, was knocked to the ground in the attack and suffered a fatal blow to the head. | |
| His mother Pamela, 71, had earlier condemned the verdict as a "joke". | |
| "I saw the CCTV footage in court and you can see that Andrew didn't cause Lewis Gill any harm," she told Bournemouth News and Picture Service press agency. | |
| "I sat with him when he died. I wish that awful man who took my son away had pleaded not guilty so he would have got a longer sentence. | |
| "The sentence is an absolute joke. I'm a committed Christian but I think that if someone takes a life they should be prepared to forfeit their own. | |
| "There have been many people who have committed manslaughter or murder in this country and they never even serve a full sentence." | |
| On Wednesday the Attorney General's Office tweeted that it had received a number of requests to review the sentence. | On Wednesday the Attorney General's Office tweeted that it had received a number of requests to review the sentence. |
| "Have received a number of requests to review the manslaughter sentence of Lewis Gill. Only takes one request and process now started," it said. | "Have received a number of requests to review the manslaughter sentence of Lewis Gill. Only takes one request and process now started," it said. |
| Dominic Grieve has until 21 March to decide whether to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal. | |
| A statement made by Mr Young’s family said they were pleased the sentence was being looked at again. | |
| "When we first heard that Gill was given a four year sentence we thought it was too short and expected him to get more than that. It's ridiculous,” it said. | |
| "He (Gill) didn't mean to kill him so a life sentence would have been extreme but he deserves more than what he was given. | |
| "Looking at his criminal record he is obviously a trouble maker and we were hoping he would get about seven or eight years. | |
| "A sentence so short might mean that he could do something else dangerous in the future. | |
| "We are pleased that the Attorney General is reviewing the sentence as people like that never really seem to learn." | |
| Released CCTV footage shows the attack, which took place outside the Tesco Metro store on Charminster Road, Bournemouth, at 4.25pm on 6 November last year. | Released CCTV footage shows the attack, which took place outside the Tesco Metro store on Charminster Road, Bournemouth, at 4.25pm on 6 November last year. |
| The video shows Mr Young talking to an acquaintance of Gill’s about his cycling on the pavement. | The video shows Mr Young talking to an acquaintance of Gill’s about his cycling on the pavement. |
| The cyclist rides off, but moments later Gill is seen punching Mr Young in the face without provocation, the court was told. | The cyclist rides off, but moments later Gill is seen punching Mr Young in the face without provocation, the court was told. |
| Mr Young is seen falling backwards and striking his head on the road. | Mr Young is seen falling backwards and striking his head on the road. |
| Gill, from Sutton, Surrey, is then seen walking away as Mr Young remains motionless on the ground. | Gill, from Sutton, Surrey, is then seen walking away as Mr Young remains motionless on the ground. |
| He died the next day at Southampton hospital. | He died the next day at Southampton hospital. |
| Gill pleaded guilty to manslaughter. | Gill pleaded guilty to manslaughter. |
| Steven Perian, defending, said Gill had felt threatened by Mr Young, but judge Keith Cutler rejected the claim. | Steven Perian, defending, said Gill had felt threatened by Mr Young, but judge Keith Cutler rejected the claim. |
| In passing sentence, Judge Cutler explained why he was sentencing Gill to only four years. | |
| He said: "What I have had to look at is what was in your mind at the time you threw that punch. | |
| "You wanted to cause some injury to Mr Young. If you wanted to cause grievous bodily harm it would have been a murder charge. | |
| "I bear in mind your early guilty plea. I accept there is no pre-meditated element and provocation does exist." | |
| Gill was also sentenced to two three-month prison terms to run consecutively after committing the crime while on a suspended sentence for robbery and for handling stolen goods. | Gill was also sentenced to two three-month prison terms to run consecutively after committing the crime while on a suspended sentence for robbery and for handling stolen goods. |