Martin Greensmith, 37, has been jailed for six years for killing his own father on Christmas Eve, just hours after finding out the victim was his biological dad.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that Greensmith pushed Steven Shevels, 61, in the beer garden of the Queen's Head Pub in Willington, Co Durham, on December 24 last year, causing him to fall and hit his head on the concrete floor, resulting in his death.
Discovery of paternity at the pub
The court was told that Mr Shevels approached the family group while drunk. After several exchanges, Greensmith's mother told him for the first time that Mr Shevels was his biological father.
Judge Jonathan Carroll told the defendant: "Mr Shevels said something you objected to. You were immediately angry and aggressive", as reported by Chronicle Live.
The fatal push
Later, when both men were in the beer garden, Greensmith approached Mr Shevels and delivered a "powerful and aggressive push" to his upper body, causing him to fall and hit his head on the concrete floor.
Judge Carroll said: "The jury, rightly in my view, rejected your assertion of self-defence. Mr Shevels was presenting absolutely no risk or threat to you."
Family impact statements
In a victim impact statement read in court, Mr Shevels' daughter Chloe Shevels described her father as "a quiet and timid man" who loved nature and rock music. She said: "He died on Christmas Eve. I found out through gossip from other people when I was opening presents. I now dread the thought of Christmas."
Mr Shevels' sister Angela Thompson said he was "the victim of an unprovoked and selfish act of violence, which took his life and took him from us far too soon". She added: "It's bad enough this happened, but for it to have happened on Christmas Eve makes it a lot worse. Christmas is supposed to be a time of happiness and togetherness. Well, that's been taken away from us now."
Mitigation and sentence
In mitigation, the court heard Greensmith was "genuinely remorseful" and had experienced "significant emotional distress" and intrusive thoughts since the incident. A pre-sentence report said he may have felt "overwhelmed" by the fact that Mr Shevels was his biological father, and that this was the first and only time he had met him, when he was "drunk and unpleasant to his family".
