Monmouth: Morgan Wainewright locked up over single-punch death

Andrew Nicholas's family said he was a "wonderful" son and champion golfer at his local club

A man who killed a golfer with a single punch has been sentenced to four years in youth detention.

Morgan Wainewright, of Mid Summer Way, Monmouth, was 19 when he attacked Andrew Nicholas from Poole, Dorset, in the early hours of 26 June.

The 43-year-old had been visiting the town on a golfing weekend.

Wainewright, who had been drinking since 16:00 the previous afternoon and had taken ketamine, admitted manslaughter at Newport Crown Court.

He had initially been charged with wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm, but was charged with manslaughter when Mr Nicholas died four days after the attack.

The court heard Wainewright had been out in Monmouth with a group of friends.

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CCTV footage played to the court showed him inside the Kings Head pub arguing with fellow drinkers and at one point, he had to be pulled away from another man.

Eyewitnesses said he appeared "wound up" and one of the pub's doormen said he "seemed like he wanted to fight anyone of any age for any reason", the court heard.

Monnow Street in Monmouth was closed while police attended the scene

After Wainewright was asked to leave the pub, CCTV footage from two cameras on Monnow Street showed a fight breaking out between the defendant and his friends, and the group of men from inside the pub.

Later, CCTV showed him talking to Andrew Nicholas for a few minutes before the fatal punch was thrown - the court heard "neither knew each other" before that night.

Prosecutor James Wilson said Wainewright went to a local skatepark and swapped his top with a friend, although he later swapped it back and handed himself into police.

Mr Nicholas was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff but never regained consciousness.

A post-mortem examination gave his cause of death as "blunt head injury".

Wainewright, now, 20, will serve his sentence in youth detention

In an impact statement, Mr Nicholas' mother Karin Nicholas said her son's death made no sense.

"A weekend of golf with his club, just going for something to eat and he will never come home," she said.

"I am left destitute, heartbroken, in total disbelief, how can this be real?

"I feel totally vulnerable and afraid without my son, he lived with me after losing my husband three years ago and did so much to help and I now don't know how I can cope with our home and how I can go forward without him."

She described him as "the most loving, caring son any mother could have", adding: "I have such pride in the man he became, loved and respected by so many.

"Losing my son in this unacceptable, atrocious manner has completely devastated me."

Defending Wainewright, Sarah Jones said her client was sorry and the incident "lived in Morgan Wainewright's thoughts before he sleeps -and he knows that it should".

Senior investigating officer Det Supt Nick Wilkie of Gwent Police said: "The circumstances of Mr Nicholas's death should act as a warning to others as to how a senseless act of violence can have devastating consequences."