THE family of a father-of-three who died after being punched outside a pub last night called for tougher sentences for manslaughter after his attacker received a threeyear jail sentence.

Anthony Hancock, 42, died in April, three days after being attacked outside The Beehive, in Bishop Auckland, from a serious brain injury caused when his head hit the pavement.

Yesterday, Lee Ballan, 34, of Lusby Crescent, in Bishop Auckland, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court where he was jailed for three years and eight months after admitting the manslaughter of Mr Hancock.

Ballan had drunk about eight pints prior to the attack, which happened following a row inside the pub.

Last night, Mr Hancock’s sister, Julie Richards, called for higher sentences for offenders who commit manslaughter and voiced her support of The Northern Echo’s Price of a Punch campaign, which calls for a review of sentencing guidelines involving jail terms given to defendants who take lives with a single act of violence.

Mrs Richards said: “I know there are legalities and the judges’ hands are tied on what they can and can’t do.

“But to us, whatever sentence he got isn’t going to bring back my brother.

“The law should be changed and there should be higher sentences to stop people from doing it. We want the public to know they can’t just go out and get intoxicated then hit someone and get such a lenient sentence.”

Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, told the court that Ballan and Mr Hancock, who were unknown to each other, were drinking in The Beehive pub, in Bishop Auckland, on April 16.

There was a verbal altercation between the pair after Ballan’s partner told him she thought Mr Hancock had tried to look down her top.

Pub staff took Mr Hancock outside the building where he finished his drink while Ballan remained inside.

Twenty minutes later, shortly after 11pm, Ballan left the pub with his partner.

Mr Perks told the court that Ballan was approaching a taxi when he suddenly changed direction and walked towards Mr Hancock, who was looking up at some traffic lights nearby.

Eyewitnesses said that he punched Mr Hancock once in the face, causing him to fall over, hitting the back of his head on the pavement as he landed. He suffered severe swelling to the brain and died in hospital on April 19.

Chris Baker, mitigating, said the incident was out of character for Ballan, who he described as a hard-working family man.

He said: “Alcohol was an aggravating feature in this case.

He feels genuine remorse and during his time in custody has struggled with what he has done and the devastation he must have caused to that family.

“This was a decision made on the hoof as he walked out of the pub. It was not a vicious blow and, in other circumstances, would only have left someone with a bruised jaw.”

Passing sentence, Judge John Milford told the defendant: “It was a mild blow but Mr Hancock fell over and struck his head, suffering a fatal brain injury.

“It is rare that sentences for manslaughter meet the expectations of the bereaved and fail to offer any comfort.”

In a statement read to the court on behalf of Mr Hancock’s estranged wife Janet, she said: “The loss of Anthony has had a massive impact on the whole family and has been hard to cope with on so many different levels.

“His death has had a traumatic effect on my life as well as our three children.

“What is hard to come to terms with is he only went out for a few drinks with friends and was subjected to a mindless act of violence.

“This has robbed the family of a much-needed husband, father, son, brother and uncle.

“We have lost an extremely loved member of our family forever and the only visits we can make now are to a graveside.”

The Northern Echo launched its Price of a Punch campaign last year after soldier Andrew Gibson, 21, died after being attacked during a night out in Darlington.

His 17-year-old attacker was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

In May this year, 17-year-old Daniel Crowther died after a one-punch attack outside a pizza shop in Stokesley. His attacker, also 17, was locked up for three years.

Darlington MP Jenny Chapman, who is an avid supporter of the Price of a Punch campaign, said the case was a clear warning to people of the risk of fights caused by drinking heavily on nights out.

Ms Chapman said: “People don’t realise the consequences of drinking far too much. The outcome can be devastating, both for the victim and themselves.

“I think alcohol being drunk is often seen as a mitigating factor and somehow excuses behaviour but it does not and never should.”

􀁧 In previous stories about The Beehive pub in Bishop Auckland, we have reported that the landlord’s licence was revoked, when it was in fact voluntarily surrendered. The Northern Echo was given this erroneous information in good faith.

A spokesman from Durham Police said: “The recent closure of the Beehive pub in Bishop Auckland resulted from a number of incidents investigated by police and a suspension of the premises licence by the Licensing Committee.

“Police were looking to apply for a revocation of this licence but it was voluntarily surrendered by the holder Rachel Rowell. As a result, proceedings to revoke the license were terminated.”