A THUG who killed a man with one punch when he attacked him outside a North-East pub late at night had his jail term cut by a year yesterday.

Football coach Steven White, of Dundas Street, Stockton, pleaded guilty in August last year at Teesside Crown Court to the manslaughter of Mark Burns and was jailed for five years.

Mr Burns, 40, from Norton, Stockton, was killed after being struck in the face by White after leaving Brad's Bar, in Stockton High Street, in August 2003, and hitting his head heavily on the pavement as he fell.

Yesterday, judges at London's Court of Appeal ruled White's sentence "manifestly excessive" and said it should be cut to four years.

Mr Justice Treacy, sitting with Lord Justice Keene and Mr Justice Wilkie, said White, 24, had not been given enough credit for his guilty plea.

The judge said those convicted of a "one-punch manslaughter" could receive as little as 12 months in jail, although he admitted the case contained "aggravating features".

The judge told the court Mr Burns was killed after an argument over a pregnant woman - who fell over outside Brad's Bar in August last year.

Mr Burns, a "decent and hard working man", was not acting aggressively, but White still punched him, fracturing his cheek bone and causing his skull to fracture when his head hit the pavement.

The 40-year-old was rushed to hospital but died nearly a fortnight later having never regained consciousness.