Boy detained for killing 62-year-old man with trip and shove

A boy who put his foot between a 62-year-old man's legs and shoved him to the ground - causing a brain injury and heart attack that killed him - has been detained after admitting manslaughter.

The then 16-year-old tripped up Jerald Netto and pushed him to the ground in Hanwell, west London in 2023.

Now 17, he has been handed a 24-month detention and training order.

Mr Netto's family said they had been made to feel his death "wasn't worthy of justice".

Sentencing the youth at the Old Bailey, Judge Rebecca Trowler KC said the seriousness of the offence meant custody was "the only option".

She said the boy must serve 12 months in a young offenders' institution, after which he would be subject to 12 months of supervision in the community.

She added Mr Netto was "entirely blameless" in the incident and his death had "caused unthinkable pain and sorrow to those who loved him".

Mr Netto's daughter, Jennifer, has begun an online petition calling for more stringent bail conditions for young offenders after the boy breached the conditions of his electronic tag twice, was recalled to court, but was "just returned home" each time.

"The message being sent to the youth is that they can act with impunity, that it is excusable and acceptable to be the cause of a person's death," she said.

In his defence, the court heard the behaviour of the boy, who cannot be named because of his age, demonstrated immaturity, and he had special educational needs.

During a police interview, the boy said: "I had no intention of causing the guy's death or harm, I am very sorry he passed away."

In the early hours of 19 March last year Mr Netto, who was described by family members as "a good soul," left the Duke of York pub on Uxbridge Road in Hanwell, crossing the street to approach the teenager and his friends.

"He shakes hands with one of them. He's just decided to talk with them," Metropolitan Police senior investigating officer Det Ch Insp Brian Howie told BBC News.

The teenage boy began to taunt Mr Netto, pulling down his trousers.

CCTV footage shows Mr Netto falling to the ground twice, which police say was due to the "pushing and shoving and the escalation of the incident".

"This isn't just a shove, this is hooking someone's foot in and then violently shoving him from behind to ensure that Jerald face-plants into the ground," said Det Ch Insp Howie.

Mr Netto was unable to break his fall and his head hit the ground, causing a traumatic brain injury and triggering a heart attack.

Footage then shows the teenager jumping over Mr Netto before fleeing the scene.

A local couple called an ambulance but Mr Netto died in hospital later that day surrounded by his family.

The clarity of the CCTV images meant police were able to arrest the teenager within an hour of the assault.

Mr Netto was born in the Indian state of Kerala, moving to Southall in west London as a child along with his parents and two older brothers.

He qualified as an electrician, becoming well known in his community for practical skills from construction and car repairs to gardening - often delivered free to the elderly.

In 1992 he married Ligin Netto, who said: "He made everybody laugh. That's one thing everybody liked about him. He made the room lighter."

Mr Netto also cared for his elderly mother and was a devoted grandfather to four-year-old Messiah, who has autism and cerebral palsy.

When police knocked on his wife's door "the shock was immense", she told BBC News.

"I was shaking. The lady police officer had to hold me tight.

"I still can't believe this has happened. It's like a nightmare. I used to pinch myself at night and I used to think: 'Is it real or am I having a dream?'"

Their daughter Jennifer said: "It's been really hard on my mum to then bear the responsibility of looking after my grandmother.

"She's found it very difficult because my dad used to help lift and carry her daily and now she doesn't have that support."

The attacker was originally charged with murder before he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in November last year.

He was remanded into the care of the local authority, which meant he was able to live at his home address under the care of his parents with a number of conditions attached.

He went on to breach the conditions of his electronic tag twice, and was recalled to court both times.

On both occasions the family attended court hoping the defendant would be sent to a young offenders' institution, but "he just returned home", the couple's daughter said.

Jennifer says the family's experiences have led her to conclude the justice system is "completely one-sided", favouring the defendant over the victim.

She also takes issue with attempts by the defence during the trial to downplay the incident as simply bad luck, asking: "Would they have the same attitude if it was their father, their husband, or their son?"

"We were made to feel that my father's death wasn't worthy of justice," she added.

"A life should never be expendable where it has been taken unlawfully."

The Ministry of Justice has been approached for comment.

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