Paul Crossley death: Two jailed over fatal Sheffield attack

Sean Holt (l) and Richard Ferrie (r) had originally been charged with murder but admitted to lesser charges mid-trial

Two men have been jailed over a fatal attack on a 53-year-old who was punched to the floor and hit with golf clubs.

Paul Crossley died from a bleed on the brain several days after he was knocked to the floor by Sean Holt, 45.

He suffered "unsurvivable" injuries during the attack, which followed an earlier dispute with his assailants.

Holt admitted manslaughter and was jailed for six years. Accomplice Richard Ferrie, 46, admitted affray and was sentenced to 18 months.

Mr Crossley and his friend Steven Newton were attacked on Longley Hall Road on 15 May last year, police said.

Holt and Ferrie had armed themselves with golf clubs and followed the pair after the earlier assault, and when Mr Crossley "tried to placate" them Holt punched him in the face.

He fell backwards and fractured his skull as he landed, suffering a "serious bleed on the brain" which caused him to fall into a coma. He died several days later at the Northern General Hospital.

His eye socket, jaw and larynx were also fractured.

Ferrie attacked Mr Newton with the golf club and punched him in the face as he lay on the floor.

Paul Crossley suffered a serious bleed on the brain, police said.

Holt, of Longley Hall Way, and Ferrie, of Moncrieffe Road, Sheffield, were originally charged with murder but admitted the lesser charges after the start of a trial at Doncaster Crown Court, police said.

Ferrie was eligible for immediate release after he was sentenced, having been held in custody since May 2020.

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