Judge jails man following ‘tragedy caused by a single punch’
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A 59-year-old man has been sentenced to four-and-half years in jail after being convicted of killing Paul Carter, who died in hospital after being punched at a folk club in Bristol.
Gary John Selwood (pictured above) was convicted of manslaughter by a jury following a trial at Bristol Crown Court. He was sentenced at the same court earlier today (Monday 30 September).
Selwood punched Mr Carter, 69, in an “unprovoked” and “unjustified” attack at Whitchurch Folk House in East Dundry Road, Bristol, on the evening of Sunday 27 February, 2022.
As a result of being punched, Mr Carter fell backwards and struck his head on the corner of some furniture. He was knocked unconscious and suffered a bleed to the brain. He was taken to Southmead Hospital where he sadly died on Saturday 16 April.
Selwood was arrested the day after the incident in Bedminster on suspicion of assault, before being released under investigation. He later moved to France, where he was arrested in the Aulnay area on Sunday 26 March 2024 and extradited back to the UK by specialist officers.
CCTV footage showed Selwood arriving at the club in the early evening prior to the attack.
At today’s hearing, Judge Julian Lambert said Paul Carter was “a loyal and hard-working family man”, who was ‘quiet, considerate and generous”.
He said Selwood had shown “no remorse” for his actions and described the incident as a “tragedy caused by a single punch”.
Det Insp Mark Newbury, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “This has been an extremely distressing time for Paul’s family and they remain firmly in our thoughts. We’ll continue to give them any support they need through a specialist family liaison officer.
“Gary Selwood carried out a vicious attack on Paul at Whitchurch Folk House in 2022. Just one punch was enough to cause horrific injuries, resulting in Paul spending almost two months in hospital before needlessly losing his life.
“Those who engage in violent acts need to take heed – the potential consequences of this behaviour can be devastating and life-changing.”