Arkadiusz Jozwik death: Teen sentenced for manslaughter

A teenage boy who killed a man with a "superman punch" has been detained for three years.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Arkadiusz Jozwik.

Mr Jozwik, 40, was attacked in Harlow, Essex, on 27 August 2016 and died in hospital two days later.

The judge at Chelmsford Crown Court said Mr Jozwik was a "perfectly decent, upstanding, well-loved man" and described his death as "tragic".

The trial heard Mr Jozwik, from Poland, had been drinking vodka with two friends in The Stow shopping precinct and had just bought a pizza when he was set upon shortly after 23:30 BST.

Rosina Cottage, prosecuting, told the court the defendant - who was 15 at the time - had moved behind him and used the "whole force of his body" to throw "a superman punch" to his head.

Patrick Upward QC, mitigating, said Mr Jozwik's injuries were caused by him hitting the ground and not from the punch itself.

"The deceased and his companion, according to the witnesses called by the prosecution, were staggering from drink," said Mr Upward.

"They made racist remarks to the youngsters, then invited violence from them, and they were considerably bigger and stronger than the young people."

The court heard the defendant had two previous convictions, one for possessing half a knuckle duster and the other for threatening behaviour, and was on bail for a separate matter at the time of the attack.

Sentencing him to three years in a young offenders institution, Judge Patricia Lynch noted his "troublesome background" and young age.