‘I don’t want to fight you’ - Final words of man killed in cowardly attack in Birmingham

A man from Birmingham has been jailed for the cowardly killing of Jason Smith who told his assailant: “I don’t want to fight you”.

Raymond Isherwood has been jailed for eight years for his part in the death of Mr Smith who was walking along Chapel Street in Handsworth with a woman last year when he was attacked.

Birmingham Crown Court heard how Isherwood punched Mr Smith following an argument on May 28, causing him to fall into a coma from which he never recovered. A CCTV camera recorded Mr Smith and the woman walking along the street and Mr Smith, aged 50, could be heard telling Isherwood: "I don't want to fight you" before the convict punched him.

Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with BirminghamWorld’s free emails After knocking Mr Smith to the ground, Isherwood was seen rifling through his pockets, stealing money before leaving him for dead. Mr Smith was found by passing motorists 45 minutes later and taken to hospital, where he was found to have sustained serious skull and brain injuries.

Despite the best efforts of medical staff, he never regained consciousness and life support was switched off on June 2. Isherwood was arrested a couple of days later and originally answered no comment, before submitting a written statement falsely claiming he had acted in self-defence.

Isherwood and Mr Smith were known to each other, but the exact reason behind the attack remains unknown. In sentencing Isherwood for manslaughter on Thursday, February 29, the judge talked about the "profound effect" Mr Smith's death had had on his family, who described him as a much-loved son, brother and friend. He also said: "No sentence I could pass today could reflect adequately the sense of overwhelming grief Jason Smith's family will continue to suffer."