A MAN who stabbed his neighbour to death when a joke turned sour during a family barbecue has had his 16- year jail sentence cut by a quarter.

James William Thornley, 44, was branded a calculated liar when he was jailed for the manslaughter of Mark Sweeney, 37, on October 13, last year.

The neighbours, from Hollowfield, Chilton, County Durham, had fallen out after a for sale sign appeared in Thornley’s garden.

A barbecue, on June 26, organised so the men could patch things up, ended in Thornley stabbing Mr Sweeney twice.

Thornley called police as paramedics fought to save his neighbour’s life, claiming he had been attacked and making no mention of the stabbing.

He washed the knives that night and later said he was acting in self-defence.

A jury at Teesside Crown Court failed to reach a verdict on the murder charge, but Thornley pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of provocation and was jailed for 16 years.

Yesterday, London’s Criminal Appeal Court allowed Thornley’s appeal and reduced his sentence to 12 years.

Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, Mr Justice Eady and Mr Justice Simon were told that Mr Sweeney had left the party in a temper and come back “like a raging bull”, manhandling Thornley and his wife.

Thornley, a much less powerfully built man than Mr Sweeney, picked up two knives and stabbed him.

Lord Judge said there was no question of Thornley’s actions being excused as selfdefence, but that 16 years was undeserved.

“This was a catastrophe for the people who knew and loved Mr Sweeney and we fully understand something of the suffering and grief of his partner, children and family – they are devastated and heartbroken,”

he said.

“Mr Sweeney was intent on a fight and had managed to get hold of him by the throat.

“The appellant (Thornley) may have believed his wife was in some danger, but he took the knife into a dangerous situation whilst in control of himself.”

Lord Judge said “insufficient allowance” was made for the fact that Thornley’s wife was engaged in an altercation with Mr Sweeney when Thornley picked up the knife.

He said: “It was not self defence, but all this was happening in his own garden at the end of an afternoon where an awful lot had gone wrong.”