Barnsley man jailed for nine years after being found guilty of manslaughter
Liam Green died in April
A man from Barnsley has been jailed for nine years after being found guilty of manslaughter.
The court heard 60-year-old Mark Wigley got into an altercation with Liam Green before driving towards and hitting him which led to his death.
On Friday 3 April, at 4.55pm, South Yorkshire Police were called by the ambulance service following a report of a collision involving a pedestrian and a white Volkswagen Touareg on Rose Tree Avenue in the Cudworth area.
Liam, aged 45, who was the pedestrian, sadly died at the scene.
Today (Thursday 29th October) Mark Wigley, 60, of Royston Road, Barnsley, has been jailed for nine years at Sheffield Crown Court after he was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury on Tuesday.
The court heard how Liam had been looking for gardening work in the local area on the day he was killed and had knocked on the doors of residents' houses offering to cut their grass.
Liam then came across the address of Wigley's mother and asked if she wanted her grass cutting, with his visit reportedly causing her upset, and she then contacted her granddaughter to express her concern.
The court then heard how just a short time later, an altercation took place between Liam and Wigley, with Wigley assaulting Liam.
Driving the Volkswagen Touareg, Wigley then drove towards Liam and collided with him, tragically killing him.
Wigley was quickly arrested and charged with murder just three days later.
Claiming he did not mean to intentionally harm Liam and that his death was an accident, after pleading not guilty at a later hearing and following a 16-day trial,
Wigley appeared in court on Tuesday (27th October) where he was found guilty by a jury of manslaughter.
Sarah Wigley and Neil Shaw, who were previously charged with murder, were both found not guilty during the trial.
Detective Inspector Laura Procter, the senior investigating officer on this case, said:
"Liam was simply looking for work when he sadly lost his life. He was loved by many, and since his death, my thoughts have been with his family and friends.
"Our investigation team has worked around the clock to understand the circumstances that led to Liam's death. We have carried out numerous enquiries, including CCTV and house-to-house, to build up a comprehensive picture of what happened on that day.
"My deepest condolences remain with Liam's loved ones, and I hope today's sentencing brings them some closure so that they can now move forward with their lives."
Liam's family have shared the following statement:
"As a family, today marks another painful step since the death of Liam on Friday 3 April 2026.
"Whilst the court has delivered its sentence, no outcome can bring Liam back or take away the pain of our loss and the devastation our family has endured which we will never recover from.
"We continue to grieve the loss of Liam who was a much-loved son, brother, father to two boys, and loved by many.
"We would like to say thank you for all the love and support we have been shown these last six months from family, friends, work colleagues and the community we live in, this shows us how much Liam was loved by all.
"We are grateful to the police, emergency services and prosecutors who supported the investigation and the court process.
"Our focus now is on honouring Liam’s memory and supporting each other through our devastating loss."