Northampton one-punch killer jailed for four years

Bradley Matcham's mother Sarah said "her heart was ripped out when he died"

A teenager who killed a man with a single punch has been jailed for four years for manslaughter.

Arthur Billings, 19, of Harpole, Northamptonshire, punched Bradley Matcham in Northampton during a row.

Mr Matcham's hands were in his pockets when he was hit and he died nine days after falling to the floor head first, Northampton Crown Court heard.

His mother Sarah Matcham told the court in a statement the "pain [of his death] will haunt me for the rest of my life".

The "unprovoked" attack happened next to an alleyway in The Drapery in the early hours of 9 February.

Arthur Billings previously admitted manslaughter

Mr Matcham, 24, who had never met Billings before, fell to the floor unconscious after he was punched and was taken to hospital where he died nine days later.

In her statement Mrs Matcham told the court: "Anyone that had the good fortune of meeting Bradley described him as kind-hearted, dependable, intuitive and inspiring.

"He was 24 years old, he'd just got a promotion at work. He had so much to live for.

"When a mother gives birth she has an instinctive need to protect her child and that doesn't change as they get older.

"We are not designed to bury our children and we are not prepared for how to deal with it.

"I watched my son fade away. My heart was ripped out when he died and it is a pain that will haunt me for the rest of my life."

Addressing Billings directly, she said: "When you wake up tomorrow morning to a new day, I would like you to reflect on one thing - all of Bradley's tomorrows have ended."