Men locked up over machete killing

Aaron Clark, 18, (left) and Reece Bruns, 21, were cleared of murder but were found guilty of manslaughter

Two men have been locked up after a man died from a machete wound to the heart.

Reece Bruns, 21, stabbed Kyle Marshall, 37, during a confrontation in a park in Bourne, Lincolnshire, in June last year.

Bruns, of St Pauls Gardens, and Aaron Clark, 18, of St Peters Road, both in Bourne, were convicted of manslaughter and possessing a bladed article after a trial at Lincoln Crown Court earlier this year. They were cleared of murder.

At the same court earlier, Bruns was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison, while Clark, who supplied the machete after fetching it from home, was given six years and nine months in a young offenders' institution.

During the trial, prosecutors said there was a history of animosity between the two defendants and Mr Marshall.

Judge Simon Hirst accepted Mr Marshall had travelled to Wellhead Park, possibly armed with a knuckleduster, to confront Bruns.

However, before passing sentence he ruled there was no evidence that Mr Marshall was carrying a knife.

Kyle Marshall was 37 when he died following the confrontation in Bourne

The judge said Clark, who was 16 at the time, fetched the "fearsome" machete – which had a blade about 12in [30cm] long – and kept it hidden in a long jacket before handing it to Bruns, who stabbed Mr Marshall.

"I have no doubt you both wanted some sort of confrontation with Kyle Marshall, otherwise you would have left the park," Judge Hirst added.

During the trial, Bruns denied deliberately stabbing Mr Marshall and claimed the fatal injury was an unintended consequence as the two men scuffled in the park.

Clark admitted going to fetch the machete, but said it was only intended to deter Mr Marshall and was not to be used for unlawful violence.

Simon Kealey KC, mitigating for Bruns, said the men had a chance to leave, but it did "not mean they were intent on attacking" Mr Marshall.

Mr Kealey read out a statement in which Bruns stressed his remorse for Mr Marshall's family.

Judge Hirst accepted Bruns suffered from adverse childhood experiences and slow processing speeds, but said it did not impact his culpability.

Andrew Vout KC, mitigating for Clark, stressed he committed the offences while still a child and had "made outstanding progress while in custody".

Clark acted in a misguided attempt to help his older friend and had "potential to do very well", Mr Vout said.

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