Man jailed for manslaughter of his younger brother in Rossendale
Brent Clayton punched Simon during what he claimed was a play fight
A man has been jailed for killing his younger brother at a social club in Rossendale.
62-year-old Brent Clayton was found guilty by a jury earlier this month and was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on Friday.
His brother, 58-year-old Simon, died in hospital after being assaulted by Clayton at Waterfoot Social Club on 23rd November 2024.
Both men had been drinking in Rossendale that Saturday before ending up at the social club together, and the incident was captured on CCTV, according to Lancashire Police.
Shortly after 11:35pm, Clayton moved into the function room at the club and began shadow-boxing and dancing around the room, trying to persuade his brother to join him, the force said.
Simon turned to walk away, before Clayton said something that made him stay, police said.
The two appeared to spar, with Clayton making punching motions towards Simon.
After Simon hit Clayton, catching his lip, Clayton punched Simon again, hitting him in the face harder than before, according to the force.
Simon dropped his arms, but Clayton punched him once more, and Simon fell back and hit his head on the floor, police said.
After delivering that blow, Clayton threw his arms up in what police described as victory.
Witnesses said that when they got into the room, Clayton told them Simon had hit him first, and told them not to call an ambulance because "he will get up in a minute", the force said.
When Simon still wasn't responding, a witness called 999 for help.
A Home Office post-mortem examination found Simon had died from a hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury due to cardiac arrest and blunt force trauma to the head, with acute alcohol intoxication a contributing factor, according to police.
Interviews and charge
Clayton was first interviewed after being arrested on suspicion of assault causing grievous bodily harm, before Simon died.
He gave a prepared statement saying he was distraught at learning his brother was in a critical condition, and gave no comment answers to further questions, police said.
In a second interview, still before Simon died, Clayton gave another prepared statement maintaining his upset, expressing remorse and saying he believed it was a play fight that had escalated while both men were drunk.
In a final interview on 27th November, after Simon had died and Clayton had been arrested on suspicion of murder, Clayton again gave a prepared statement saying he was too distraught to answer police questions.
Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Clayton, of Taylor Avenue, Rossendale, was charged with manslaughter.
He pleaded not guilty at Preston Crown Court, maintaining his innocence, but a jury found him guilty.
He was sentenced to four years in prison.
Family's tribute
Simon's wife described him in a Victim Personal Statement, saying he was "larger than life and an extremely hard worker".
"He loved having a laugh. He had a way of making you smile and bringing life into a room," she said.
"He was the sort of person who would do anything for anyone, and I mean anything. If somebody needed help, Simon would be there and would help people without expecting anything in return. He never did it because he wanted recognition or because he expected something back," she said.
"Helping people was simply the kind of person he was... a gentle giant," she said.
She told of the impact of his death on their family, saying: "There are no words that can describe the devastating impact losing my husband has had on my children, grandchildren and myself. Our worlds have been destroyed, and the person who did this was Simon's own brother."
"Simon was my husband, my best friend, my protector and the person I expected to grow old with. We were already making plans for our life when we had more time to ourselves. Never in a million years did I imagine our future would be taken away from us in such a violent and senseless way," she said.
"My life will never be the same again," she said.
She continued: "I miss Simon every single minute of every single day. I miss his presence, his voice, his company and simply knowing he was there. I miss being able to talk to him, having him hold me and comfort me. He made me feel safe."
"I am now having to face a future I never chose," she said.
She ended her statement by saying: "The hardest thing is knowing that this is something that cannot be undone or repaired. We cannot get Simon back.
"He will never walk through the door. He will never see his grandchildren grow up. He will never meet his youngest grandchild. He will never enjoy the home he spent so many years building. He will not enjoy his retirement. He will not grow old with me.
"His brother has taken away the future that Simon and I planned together, the future my children expected to have with their dad and the future my grandchildren should have had with their grandad. The future Simon deserved to have," she said.
Detective Inspector Tris Hardwick, of the force's Major Investigation Team, said it was "clear" that Simon was adored by his family, and that they had "been through an unimaginable loss but have held themselves with incredible composure throughout proceedings".
He said Clayton "didn't set out that night to kill his brother", calling it "a tragic example of how reckless behaviour when drunk can end so badly".
DI Hardwick said Clayton had "already been given the sentence of knowing that he was responsible for his brother's death, which I acknowledge will remain with him for the rest of his life".
He said no sentence would bring Simon back, but hoped his family could "begin to rebuild their lives knowing that the person responsible has been brought to justice through the courts".
DI Hardwick added: "This case is terribly sad, but it is an important one to tell you about. We say it time and time again, one punch can, and does kill."