Edgbaston man jailed for manslaughter of Matthew Carroll at a bar in Brindleyplace

A Birmingham man has been convicted of killing a ‘devoted father’ at a bar in Brindleyplace last summer.

Matthew Mahony, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter after he punched Matthew Carroll during a night out in Birmingham on 29 August.

Mr Carroll had been out with his son and friends at the Slug and Lettuce pub in Brindleyplace when a disorder involving a member of the group he was with broke out.

Mr Carroll who had been standing outside the Slug and Lettuce as the disorder began was punched in the face by Mahony in an unprovoked attack causing him to fall backwards and hit his head on the floor. Mahony didn’t wait around to see if Mr Carroll was ok, instead he fled the scene.

The 50-year-old victim was taken to hospital where tests revealed he had suffered a fatal head injury and his life support was switched off later that day.

Mahony handed himself into police a couple of days later and admitted to punching Mr Carroll. On 17 December at Birmingham Crown Court Mahony of Stone Road, Edgbaston, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Today (8 February) he was sentenced to five years in prison.

What did police say following the sentence?

Detective Inspector Ade George, from the West Midlands Police Homicide team, said: “This is a tragic case where many people’s lives have been destroyed.

“Mr Carroll was an innocent bystander who tried to diffuse a situation that had got out of control and Mahony mistook this for him being involved, which was not the case.

“Violence is never the answer and sadly this terrible act of violence has left a family without a father and grandfather. “My thoughts remain with the family of Mr Carroll and although no sentence will ever bring him back, I hope they can now gain some closure.”

The Carroll family said: “No words can describe the pain and heartbreak that we have been put through during this dark time.

“Our dad was such a kind, loving man and he didn’t deserve this. He had a heart of gold and would put anyone before himself. He always made people feel welcome and made people laugh.

“Our lives will never be the same without him.”

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.