Three men found guilty of manslaughter after Norwich assault
The conviction follows the assault of Matthew Griggs on Ketts Hill in 2023.
Three men have been found guilty of manslaughter after they assaulted a man in Norwich.
They attacked 39-year-old Matthew Griggs on Ketts Hill in September 2023 and he died four days later.
Johnathan Bristow, 46, of Trafalgar Street, Norwich, Daniel Carroll, 44, of HMP Norwich and 29-year-old John McDonnell, of Oval Road, Norwich, were all found guilty of his manslaughter today at Norwich Crown Court.
A fourth man - 47-year-old Andrew Gough - was also charged but died before the trial came to court.
The conviction follows an incident on the 19th of September 2023 when 39-year-old Matthew Griggs was assaulted on a number of occasions by a group of men on Ketts Hill, Norwich.
Matthew and his partner had spent the previous evening at a residential address on Ketts Hill after being invited by her friend, John McDonnell. Bristow, Gough and Carroll were all present at the address throughout the evening.
On the morning of the 19th of September, Matthew’s partner left him at the address whilst she went to the shop. On her return she found him on the floor, having been assaulted, with blood coming from his head. Police attended the scene and found Matthew in the road. He refused to wait for an ambulance, did not wish to make a statement and left the scene.
After the assault, Matthew and his partner travelled to Sprowston, where they spent a few nights in a tent. On Saturday the 23rd of September, officers were called to Church Lane, Sprowston at 7.45am after his partner raised the alarm to passers by that she could not wake him. Matthew was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Home Office postmortem found the primary cause of death to be a collapsed lung and haemothorax. Matthew was also found to have suffered from fractured ribs and blunt force trauma to the chest.
Warrants were executed at the home addresses for all four men that had spent time with the victim on the 18th and 19th of September 2023. They were all arrested on suspicion of murder between the 3rd and 18th of October 2023. The four men were later charged with manslaughter in March 2025.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Alix Wright said: “Throughout this process, officers have worked diligently to piece together the circumstances of this case.
“This has been a long and complex investigation, and today’s conviction marks a significant moment for everyone involved—most importantly, for the victim’s family. We hope this outcome brings them some measure of comfort as they continue to cope with their loss.”
McDonnell, Bristow and Carroll will be sentenced at a later date.