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Dartford resident Gareth Standing jailed for manslaughter of Wayne Hoskyns in Crayford

A man has been sent to prison for the manslaughter of a dad of five.

Gareth Standing appeared at Woolwich Crown Court today and was sentenced to four years and eight months inside.

Dartford resident Gareth Standing has been sent to prison for manslaughter of Wayne Hoskyns in Crayford in June 2020
Dartford resident Gareth Standing has been sent to prison for manslaughter of Wayne Hoskyns in Crayford in June 2020

Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 4.18pm on June 19 last year to The Parade in Crayford after reports of a serious assault.

When they arrived, they found 41-year-old Wayne Hoskyns unresponsive.

Members of the public and medics administered CPR before he was taken to hospital by air ambulance in a critical condition.

With his family at his bedside, he died the next day.

Standing presented himself at a south London police station on June 23 where he was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Wayne Hoskyns has been named as the victim
Wayne Hoskyns has been named as the victim

While the 38-year-old was in custody, a post-mortem examination found the cause of Mr Hoskyns' death was a subarachnoid haemorrhage, a stroke caused by bleeding on the brain.

Standing, of Central Road, Dartford, was charged with murder that same day.

He responded "no comment" to all questions put to him in police interview and was remanded in custody.

On November 23, he appeared at Woolwich Crown Court where he entered a plea of guilty to manslaughter which was accepted by the court.

He was remanded in custody for sentencing.

Police stand guard outside the scene in Crayford
Police stand guard outside the scene in Crayford

The investigation established on the day of Mr Hoskyns' death, he and three others, including Standing, were sitting by the café in the park talking.

Standing took offence at something the dad of five had said to a female companion.

Standing punched him in the face, knocking him out.

He and his companion then left the scene, leaving Wayne lying on the ground.

Woolwich Crown Court
Woolwich Crown Court

Detective Chief Inspector Helen Rance, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “Our thoughts today are with the family of Wayne Hoskyns who was taken from them so suddenly. Despite the legal proceedings now being at an end, the effects of the loss they have suffered will continue in the years ahead.

“I would like to thank the witnesses who came forward to assist my team in establishing the circumstances surrounding Wayne’s death, particularly those who tried to help Wayne and called for medical assistance. I applaud their sense of community and their commendable choice to do the right thing.”

To get the latest updates on ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here.

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