Man jailed for one-punch killing after row over dog

Charlie Greaves was found dead last August after being involved in an altercation the night before

A man has been jailed for four and a half years for killing another man with one punch after an argument over a dog being off its lead.

The body of Charlie Greaves, 25, from Ipswich, was discovered at Suffolk Sands Holiday Park in Felixstowe on 11 August 2024.

Daniel Martin, 29, of Felix Road, Felixstowe, had denied the charge during his trial at Ipswich Crown Court, but was found guilty by a jury.

Judge Martyn Levett said decision making when affected by alcohol "can lead to serious consequences".

During the trial, Barnaby Shaw, prosecuting, told the jury that Martin had been out drinking in the Felixstowe area with a group of friends.

He said they visited the Grosvenor pub, which Mr Greaves had arrived at separately shortly after, before the group went to Bar 21 close to the seafront.

As they left and headed to the promenade, Mr Greaves walked past with his dog.

Mr Shaw said some members of Martin's group told Mr Greaves to put his dog on a lead.

There was an argument and Martin punched the victim, causing him to fall back, hit his head and lose consciousness for a time.

He was treated by paramedics, but refused to go to hospital.

The next morning, Mr Greaves' grandfather found him on the bedroom floor with half of his body under the bed, emergency services were called and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The court heard that the defendant claimed he had been acting in self defence.

Judge Levett said the jury had rejected those claims.

Daniel Martin was told he must serve at least 40% of his prison sentence

A statement from Mr Peters' mother, Elaine Farthing, was read to the court, she said she bore "no malice" to Martin and wished him luck for the future but that his actions "killed my only son".

She said Mr Greaves had a "heart the size of Ipswich" and he "would do anything for everybody".

"I lost every part of him that day, I would give my life for his," the statement read.

Martin's defence barrister, Jeremy Benson KC, said that his actions were "out of character" and asked for a suspended prison sentence to be handed down.

'Tragic event'

Judge Levett told the court that "tragic events" like this can happen when people drink alcohol on "summer evenings in our coastal towns".

He said: "This is one more case in the catalogue of violent incidents which has the risk of significantly affecting the reputation of the seafront in local towns and blights the reputation of Suffolk."

The court heard that the punch was thrown with moderate force and that Mr Greaves "may well have had many years ahead of him".

Judge Levett told Martin that he must serve at least 40% of his sentence before being eligible for release on parole.