Tesco worker death: Andover man jailed for 'callous' killing

John Carroll was described as "well-loved" by his family

A man has been jailed for the "callous" killing of a supermarket employee who was assaulted outside the Tesco where he worked.

Shane Donovan, 28, attacked John Carroll at the Tesco Extra in Andover, Hampshire, on 29 July 2021, leaving him with a fatal head injury.

The 62-year-old died 12 days later.

Donovan, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter last October, was jailed for nine years and one month at Winchester Crown Court earlier.

The court heard Shane Donovan was drunk and "coming down" from taking cocaine and ketamine at the time

The court heard Donovan attacked Mr Carroll, who had been collecting trollies, after he tried to stop a friend of the assailant doing wheelies in a store wheelchair in the supermarket car park.

James Newton-Price QC, prosecuting, said Mr Carroll intervened "as part of his duties as an employee".

"Mr Donovan punched him hard in the face, causing a fracture of the jaw following which he fell heavily to the ground, causing a skull fracture and traumatic brain injury," he added.

Mr Newton-Price said the assault was "wholly unprovoked and shocked bystanders".

The court heard Donovan, of York Court, Andover, was drunk and "coming down" from taking cocaine and ketamine at the time.

Mr Carroll was assaulted outside Tesco Extra in Andover after he intervened "as part of his duties as an employee"

Describing Donovan as "callous", Judge Susan Evans QC assessed him to be "dangerous" and imposed a 60-month period of extended licence on top of the time to be spent in custody.

She said: "There is no sentence this court could impose that reflects the loss of life of Mr Carroll, a kind, caring family man who loved his job at Tesco."

In a statement read to the court, Mr Carroll's partner Paula Murrell said his death had "left a great big void in my life".

Donovan, who had a history of paranoid schizophrenia, was further sentenced after pleading guilty to assaulting a mental health nurse and care support worker while being assessed for sentencing.