A LOUT accused of killing a man during a gang attack in the street was branded a violent coward by a judge as he was jailed for three years.

Daniel Rochford was originally charged with manslaughter following the death of Gary Hart, after he was battered with a metal drainpipe.

Prosecutors had to drop the charge to grievous bodily harm when doctors could not decide exactly what caused 39-year-old Mr Hart's death.

He suffered three broken ribs and a punctured lung in the attack in April 2014, and died five days after being released from hospital.

Three pathologists could not be certain if the injuries led to his pneumonia or the fact that he had taken crack cocaine and heroin.

Rochford, 25, was caught on CCTV cameras close to Hartlepool town centre with three friends - and was later seen with the heavy pipe.

One of the others - Kurtis Gretton - was by his side, and was said by one witness to have said: "I've got a knife, you want to back off."

Gretton claims he said Mr Hart and his friend had a knife, and he only got involved when the tragic 39-year-old shoved a younger lad.

The 25-year-old admitted a charge of affray and was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, at Teesside Crown Court.

Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC, told the jobless dad today (Tuesday, January 26): "You may not have had a weapon or struck any blows, but you were involved."

He told Rochford - who has three offences for street violence going back to when he was 15: "You attacked Mr Hart for no good reason.

"You are a violent individual, someone who can and will resort to violence without any real provocation and without there being reason.

"You are also, in my judgement, a coward because you will only resort to violence if you have the back-up of others or if you are armed.

"Those who, like you, are prepared to resort to violence in the street will, of course, receive sentences of imprisonment."

Nicholas Lumley, QC, for Rochford, of Henderson Court, Hartlepool, said there were "glaring inconsistencies" in the accounts of witnesses.

He said the dad-of-two had not gone looking for trouble and was on his way to the doctors after having an accident at work the previous day.

Ian Hudson, for Gretton, of Thornton Street, Hartlepool, said he had never been to court before, and "stupidly" got involved.