Shard End attacker jailed 19 years after leaving man paralysed
An attacker who left a man paralysed with a single punch has been sent back to jail, after he died 17 years later.
Paul Proctor, now 47, hit Mark Wilkie following a disagreement over ordering a taxi for two women after leaving a Birmingham pub, police said. Mr Wilkie was reliant on 24-hour care after the Erdington attack, in August 2000, and died in 2017 aged 44. Proctor has now been given two years 10 months for manslaughter, after being handed an 18-month sentence previously. The attacker, from Priestland Road, Shard End, provided "some limited assistance" to the victim and did not abscond, but was "inactive" for several minutes, the judge, His Honour Judge Francis Laird QC, said. The victim suffered a number of bouts of pneumonia, a consequence of severe brain injury, he told Birmingham Crown Court, adding Mr Wilkie had pneumonia 17 times from 2008. A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death to be pneumonia and paraplegia and "old head injury complicated by recurrent pneumonia", the judge said. Witnesses said the force of the punch lifted Mr Wilkie off the floor after Proctor had left the pub in Kingsbury Road. As the victim fell backwards, the back of his head hit the pavement, the court heard. Proctor had been convicted in 2000 of assaulting his wife and was subsequently found guilty of assaulting his partner in 2008, the court heard. Martin Butterworth, defending, said previous convictions were of a "different character" and he had demonstrated "genuine remorse". In a statement released by police, Mr Wilkie's sister Claire, said the events of that evening "tore our family apart". She said: "He was a lovely, happy chap who loved playing sport but was left with years of pain, misery and being unable to do anything himself." Det Insp Jim Colclough said: "This just shows that the passing of years is no barrier to us and we will always seek justice for families." Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone. Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service