Jason Murray appeared before Belfast Crown Court today, Tuesday 8 July, for the manslaughter of Paul Rowlands in Portrush in July 2022.
The 42-year-old was given an indeterminate sentence for which he will serve a minimum of eight years in custody before he is considered for release.
Detective Inspector Claire McGarvey said: “Mr Paul Rowlands, who was 46 years old and from Cambridge, was a much-loved father of five.
“Paul had been on an extended stay in Portrush from the beginning of June 2022, and was planning to return to England at the end of July.
“Following a report to the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, Paul was found injured and unresponsive in the Bath Terrace area of Portrush in the early hours of Monday 18 July in 2022. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.
“Jason Murray was arrested that Monday evening. Murray later admitted to assaulting Paul during an argument, but maintained he had left him alive and well.”
Detective Inspector McGarvey continued: “We’re grateful to those witnesses who came forward to support our investigation. A number of witnesses, who saw the two men in and around the area on Sunday 17 July, described both consuming alcohol and arguing. Another gave an account of the actual attack, describing how the defendant assaulted the victim while he lay vulnerable on the ground.
“Mr Rowlands sustained heavy bruising to his ear and a laceration to the side of his head. A post mortem examination confirmed that, tragically, he died from a brain haemorrhage caused by blunt impact to the head.”
She added: “This was the most senseless and tragic loss of a man’s life, in an attack fuelled by alcohol. Here, a verbal altercation followed by physical blows has had the most devastating and irreversible of consequences.
“Working with the Public Prosecution Service, the defendant has now been held accountable. At the same time, Paul’s family have suffered unimaginably and I’m deeply aware that their heartache goes on. My thoughts, and that of my team, remain with them.”