Drunk thug who killed charity worker with single punch in unprovoked attack is jailed

A drunken thug has been jailed for killing a charity fundraiser with a single punch while he was out celebrating his anniversary with his girlfriend.

Kyle Turton, 21, launched an unprovoked attack on stranger Nathaniel Bierley, 26, in the early hours of 5 March in Nottingham city centre.

Nathaniel – who was well known for raising money for diabetes charities – was rushed to hospital with serious head injuries but died nearly two weeks later.

Turton, of Clifton, Nottingham, previously admitted manslaughter at Nottingham Crown Court and was jailed for nine years on Friday.

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The court heard Five Guys worker Nathaniel had been out celebrating his third anniversary with his partner when he was attacked in Upper Parliament Street.

The university graduate was knocked unconscious and cracked his skull on the pavement as he fell.

He was taken to hospital but later died due to catastrophic brain injuries on 17 March – 12 days after the assault.

Turton’s friends had described him on the night as being drunk, looking to start a fight and his behaviour changed to "aggressively and jumpy", the court heard.

Detectives identified Turton as the main suspect after CCTV showed him acting aggressively and being the closest to Nathaniel when the punch was thrown.

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In a powerful victim impact statement read to the court by his sister, Louisa, speaking directly to Turton, said: “You have taken the life of a young man that was so loved, loved life and was always so dedicated to making a change and standing up for other’s rights.

“The pain and hurt you have caused to all of us.

"You have ruined every birthday and every Christmas, because you didn’t just take Nathaniel’s life you took all of our lives when you took my brother's life.”

Sentencing, Judge Stuart Rafferty QC, added: “By your completely unjustified and unnecessary actions you brought to the end a life of a young man who had done nothing to you.”

In a statement afterwards, Nathaniel’s family said: “As a family, we know that nothing can bring back Nathaniel, however we would like to thank the judge for his comments today and the sentence that was passed.

“It is comforting for us to know that Kyle Turton will be spending longer than we anticipated in prison and that he will have a long time to think about what he has done before he can see his family again.”