A man who fatally punched his 63-year-old victim outside a city centre pub has been jailed for five years.

Kevin Gardner, 26, of Westminster Road in Ellesmere Port, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court after earlier pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Ronald Hayes, of Morpeth, Northumberland, died after fracturing his skull on the pavement during the incident outside The Liverpool Arms on Northgate Street during the early hours of November 23 last year.

Mr Hayes had been enjoying a night out with work colleagues from Stanlow oil refinery at The Liverpool Arms that night.

Gardner, a manager of a sports retail store in Ellesmere Port, and his friend Ashley Robinson were also drinking there and complained to a barman that Mr Hayes had exposed himself to them.

Although the barman hadn’t seen anything, Mr Hayes was asked to leave.

CCTV footage was shown to the court of Mr Hayes being removed from the pub and Gardner and Mr Robinson, who had also left, talking to Mr Hayes.

Gardner then punched Mr Hayes, who fell to the ground, and the attacker walked away.

Prosecuting, John Wyn Williams read out a text message Gardner sent to his girlfriend Faye Stevens in the early hours of the morning of November 23, in which he told her he had ‘knocked out’ a man who had been looking at him and that he hoped he wasn’t dead.

Mr Williams also read out a statement by Mr Hayes’ partner, Aubrey David Graham, who described Mr Hayes as calm by nature and ‘not anybody you would argue with’.

Mr Graham added that they had a ‘fabulous life together’ and he despaired that it had been cut short.

The court heard that Gardner received a caution in 2008 after punching somebody while he was drunk and was warned of the dangers of people banging their heads.

In a letter read out by Maria Masselis, defending, Gardner said: “I am genuinely remorseful for what I did. In the heat of the moment, my emotions got the better of me and I committed what will be the most devastating act of my life that I will regret for the rest of my life.”

Sentencing, the Recorder of Chester Judge Elgan Edwards said: “If only you had remained in that public house, Ronald Hayes might be alive and you would not be standing in the dock of Chester Crown Court.

“Sadly for him and for you, you approached him. You were annoyed at his behaviour and you wanted him to leave.’

The judge said Gardner had warned Mr Hayes that if he didn’t leave, Gardner would ‘bang you out’.

“That’s exactly what you did, you banged him out. You didn’t go to him. You left him for other people to try and help,” added Judge Edwards.

“This kind of drunken violence fuelled by alcohol poisons the streets of this city at night.

“It causes terrible incidents and this is one of them - a tragedy for you and a tragedy for Mr Hayes and his family.”