Football fan jailed for one-punch killing of rival

Jake Balmforth had travelled to Blackpool to watch Burnley play the Seasiders in a Championship clash

A man who killed a rival football fan with a single punch has been jailed.

Jake Balmforth, 35, punched Tony Johnson, as rival fans clashed outside The Manchester pub on Blackpool Promenade after Blackpool played Burnley on 4 March 2023.

Mr Johnson, 55, from Blackpool, suffered a serious head injury and died in hospital two days later without regaining consciousness.

Judge Robert Altham, Honorary Recorder of Preston, sentenced Balmforth, from Burnley, to five years after he was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury at Preston Crown Court earlier this month.

The disturbance happened hours after the Championship match earlier in the day in Blackpool.

Balmforth had travelled to the resort to watch Burnley and was in The Manchester sports bar, which was a designated pub for Burnley fans.

Mr Johnson was among a group of Blackpool supporters who gathered outside the pub.

During the trouble that followed, Balmforth punched Mr Johnson once in the face, and the incident was caught on CCTV.

Police at the scene provided emergency medical assistance before Mr Johnson was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Balmforth, of Tarvin Close, was also given a nine-year order banning him from football grounds.

Tony Johnson died in hospital two days after the attack

Det Ch Insp Andy Fallows said: "My thoughts remain very much with Tony Johnson's family.

"It has been a harrowing experience for them over the last two years, losing a loved one and having to relive the events of the evening of 4 March 2023 during the trial.

"This case shows how outbreaks of violence can lead to tragedy and what the terrible consequences of one punch can be."

Following Mr Johnson's death, his partner paid tribute to him, saying she was "devastated" to have lost her "best friend, life partner and soul mate".

"We all, as a family, are so heartbroken and our lives are never going to be the same," she added.

Eight other men who pleaded guilty to affray will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on 4 August.