Yahoo News Thug jailed for manslaughter after his victim died 17 years on from attack
A man has been sent back to jail after the man he punched and paralysed subsequently died from his injuries 17 years after the attack.
Paul Proctor was originally jailed for 18 months for wounding Mark Wilkie with a single punch back in August 2000.
Wilkie, 27, was left paralysed and needed round the clock care until he died in October 2017, following the attack.
The pair had argued over ordering a taxi for two women after leaving a pub.
Witnesses said the force of the punch lifted Wilkie off the floor.
His death from pneumonia linked to a brain injury led to Proctor, being re-arrested and charged with manslaughter.
He has subsequently been put behind bars for another two years and 10 months.
Proctor, 47, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.
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Police said Proctor was “shocked” at facing a manslaughter charge and had shown no remorse for the attack.
Wilkie - who also needed a ventilator to breathe - was admitted to hospital with pneumonia in September 2017 and died less than a week later aged 44.
Mark Wilkie’s sister Claire said: "The events of that evening in 2000 tore our family apart and left us all devastated.
"I had been with him earlier in the day of the attack and just couldn’t believe what happened only hours later.
"He was a lovely, happy chap who loved playing sport but was left with years of pain, misery and being unable to do anything himself.
"We will never get over the impact of that night and the loss of Mark, but we’re grateful to West Midlands Police for all they have done to get some justice."
Detective Inspector Jim Colclough, from the West Midlands Police homicide team, said: "Mr Wilkie was left severely disabled as a result of the attack almost 20 years ago.
"He lost his independence and had a much reduced quality of life until his sad death in 2017.”
