Face of the killer who drowned Sheffield fisherman who represented his country at sport he loved

Kieran Hayes, aged 33, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after admitting the manslaughter of 50-year-old Kevin Hodkinson in an incident at Oxspring Dam – a members only fishing pond off Herries Road, Sheffield – on June 16, 2022.

A members of the public reported concerns for Mr Hodkinson after he disappeared, but his fishing equipment and vehicle were still at the pond.

Following a search, Mr Hodkinson was recovered unresponsive from the water. Police officers tried to revive him at the scene and he was taken to hospital but could not be saved.

Detective Chief Inspector Emma Knight, who led the investigation into his death for South Yorkshire Police, said: “Kevin Hodkinson was a skilled fisherman and had represented his country at a sport he loved. His untimely death in such tragic circumstances has devastated his family and my thoughts are with them following this court hearing.

“Kieran Hayes has accepted responsibility for his actions in causing the death of another and has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, which has been accepted by the court.”

Hayes, formerly of Oxspring Bank, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The hospital order was made under the Mental Health Act 1983.

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said Hayes “was in a delusional state as a result of paranoid schizophrenia” at the time of the drowning, and had it not been for his medical condition “this would have been a clear case of murder”.

Sheffield Crown Court heard that at the time of the killing Hayes was of the deluded view that Mr Hodkinson was, in some way, repsonsible for committing an act of violence against a family member.

The judge said: “There can be no doubt whatsoever that the defendant will need life-long treatment. He is unpredictable, and in this regard, I accept the view of the doctors: he undoubtedly poses a significant risk to the public. If he should ever be let out of treatment, history could easily repeat itself.”