A FORMER Royal Engineer, who beat a grandfather to death for dancing too close to his daughters, was last night jailed for six years.

County Durham man Alan Sirrell, 36, followed club patron Patrick Ronan, 61, into the toilets, knocked him out and stamped on his chest.

Mr Ronan died of acute pancreatitis, a severe inflammation of the pancreas, the day after the attack.

A post-mortem examination found bruising around his stomach and back, a broken nose and several broken ribs.

Sirrell, known as Geordie Alan, boasted about "wiping him out" after leaving the victim sprawled on the toilet floor, the court heard.

A jury at the Old Bailey, in London, convicted Sirrell, originally from Sedgefield, of manslaughter and cleared him of murder.

Sirrell, now of Rainham, Essex, denied the charges, claiming he only hit Mr Ronan with his elbow, causing him to fall.

He admitted he wanted to warn off the Irishman for dancing too close to his daughters.

Mr Ronan went to the club in Dagenham, Essex, on February 15 this year. An engagement party was being held for the son of one of the bar staff.

Sirrell, who was working as a railway engineer, was there with friends, his wife and two young daughters.

He became annoyed at Mr Ronan dancing near to his girls and started hurling miniature sausages at him.

When Mr Ronan went to the lavatories, Sirrell followed him. A young man in a cubicle heard the thud of someone being assaulted.

Peter Finnigan, prosecuting, said another witness heard Sirrell laughing about what he had done.