Man jailed over deadly bus stop assault
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Will Jefford
East Midlands
A man who was found guilty of killing a passenger he assaulted at a bus stop has been jailed.
Darren Bakewell punched and pushed Christopher Pearson, 78, following an exchange in Long Street, Wigston, on 15 October 2022, causing him to fall backwards on to a low brick wall and metal railings.
Leicestershire Police said Pearson died in hospital 10 days later after suffering complications arising from his injuries from the assault.
Bakewell, 62, of Bentinghouse Gardens in Leicester, was found guilty of manslaughter in September, and was jailed for two years and nine months at Northampton Crown Court on Thursday.
The force said Pearson had told them he was struggling to get off the bus as people were getting on and an exchange then took place with Bakewell.
He said the offender then assaulted him causing him to fall backwards on to a low brick wall and metal railings.
Detectives said he was seen by paramedics and was taken to hospital after Bakewell was issued with a community resolution by officers and apologised to him.
Pearson was discharged but continued to experience significant pain at home, which affected his mobility and left him unable to lie comfortably in bed.
He saw a doctor on 17 October, two days after the fall, but was again admitted to hospital the following day, where clinicians identified complications arising from his injuries.
His condition continued to deteriorate and he developed an infection that led to organ failure and, despite treatment, he died in hospital on 25 October, police said.
A post-mortem examination and further examinations concluded that Mr Pearson's cause of death was sepsis, infection in his bone and fractures of his ribs and vertebra.
It was therefore found that there was a link between the assault where the injuries were sustained and Mr Pearson's death, police said.
Following Mr Pearson's death, Bakewell was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and faced trial at Leicester Crown Court earlier this year.
Pearson's family issued a statement after the sentencing, adding: "It is hard for us to know where to begin. Chris' death has changed our lives in every way imaginable.
"He was the master of Dad jokes and would make jokes at any given opportunity.
"He also had the most loving bond with our family dog Fudge. Fudge still takes a toy to Chris' armchair now and keeps his armchair warm for him.
"We, as a family, were supposed to be enjoying these later years of life with Chris but this has been taken away from us.
"Instead we have been given years of dread and upset and we have been denied of making any more memories with him.
"We have been denied birthday celebrations, family days out and holidays together - all the things we used to enjoy.
"Each Christmas, we still set a place for Chris but he's not there.
"The decisions and actions of Darren Bakewell that day took Chris' life and ruined all of our lives."
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