Man jailed for manslaughter following fatal ‘one punch’ incident in Leigh.

Paul Brierley (31/03/1978), of Hendon Street, Leigh, has been jailed for the manslaughter of 57-year-old Paul Ologbose from Leigh.

Brierly appeared before Manchester Crown Court yesterday (13 July 2022), where the judge jailed him for six years and eight months, after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

Police were called shortly before 2am on Sunday 23 January 2022, to a report of an assault in the area outside Higher Fold Sports and Social Club, Kensington Drive.

Paul had suffered a serious head injury after being punched by Brierley in an unprovoked attack and was taken to hospital where he sadly died later that same day.

Speaking on the sentencing result, Senior Investigating Officer, Phil Reade, said: “Once again our condolences first and foremost go to the family and friends of Paul who is sadly no longer with us.

“I hope that this sentencing provides some comfort to Paul’s family. However, this will undoubtedly affect them for the rest of their lives and this incident should serve as a stark reminder at how these mindless, unnecessary acts of violence can have utterly tragic consequences”.

On remembering their loved one, Paul’s family said: “Although no length of time served will ever be enough to replace what we've lost, we just wanted justice for our dad, who was taken far too soon. This tragedy has broken us as a family, and we will always have a huge piece of us missing. Always loved forever missed.             

“We would like to thank everyone who has reached out and offered their support during this difficult time”.