'We live with pain every day': Dad-of-three never got to meet his son as Pontefract thug jailed over his death
‘It is a scar in our lives that will never leave’
The devastated mum of a man who was killed by an off-duty doorman after a night out in Pontefract has spoken of the families torment.
Dylan Maxwell, 28, repeatedly punched 25-year-old Luke Thompson, causing fatal head injuries. Mr Thompson died in hospital 10 days later, caused by a fracture to the back of the skull and a bleed to the brain, which a court heard was irrefutably caused by the punch.
The court was told that Maxwell and Mr Thompson were strangers and had both been out in Pontefract town centre when the incident happened on Front Street in the early hours of November 19, 2023.
It is thought that Mr Thompson attempted to intervene in a heated discussion between Maxwell and a girl he was with.
Maxwell, of Wood View Avenue, Castleford, was jailed for 13 years and 10 months at Leeds Crown Court earlier today for manslaughter and a series of drug offences.
In a victim impact statement from Mr Thompson’s mother, Michelle, read to the court, she said: “From the very start we were told it was likely we would lose him. The days in the hospital were the worst times in our lives. We live with the pain of losing him every day. It is a scar in our lives that will never leave.
“The impact of losing him is something that has affected the whole family differently. Some of us take comfort in talking about him and sharing stories, but some of us find it too painful because of how he was taken from us.”
Michelle revealed that many in the family have suffered from mental health struggles since her youngest child’s death and said she suffers from panic attacks and sleepless nights, and has nightmares when she does sleep.
She said her son would help his dad get out and about, and since losing him, his physical health has deteriorated.
The court also heard that Mr Thompson’s girlfriend was eight months pregnant with their third child at the time of his death.
“Luke never got the chance to meet his son, that chance was taken away from him,” Michelle’s statement added. “Three children will now grow up not knowing their dad.
“No sentence will ever take away the pain we have suffered over the past three years, but at least we know he will no longer be able to live his life free on the streets.”
A jury at Leeds Crown Court found Maxwell guilty of manslaughter by a unanimous verdict after a five-day trial in May, rejecting his claim that he was pre-empting an attack and hit out first in self-defence.
During the trial, prosecutor David Outterside told the jury that it was not self-defence “in a million years”. He added: “Luke Thompson had the temerity to challenge him. This was about bravado and ego, not lawful self-defence.”
Mr Outterside said that when Mr Thompson got back to his feet, “unsteady and disoriented” after the first punch, Maxwell struck him twice more and Mr Thompson fell back, hitting his head on the ground, where he was knocked unconscious.
Leeds Crown Court heard that Maxwell was under police investigation at the time of the incident after a search of his home in December 2021 uncovered a large quantity of drugs and cash.
He later pleaded guilty to a series of drug offences, including possession with intent to supply Class A cocaine and Class B cannabis.
In mitigation, defence counsel Abdul Iqbal KC told the court that his client had no previous criminal record before his arrest for drug offences in 2021.
He described the death of Mr Thompson as “one shameful act” that his client has great remorse for.
Mr Iqbal said Maxwell had shown a positive approach towards the future since his arrest, had begun working within the prison estate, and was at low risk of reoffending.
Passing sentence earlier today, Judge Robin Mairs told the defendant: “Luke Thompson was no threat to you - at any stage. The last two blows were aimed at a man who was retreating and already unsteady from the first blow. You intended to cause harm, and then you ran away.”