Man jailed for killing Doncaster dad with single punch

An '˜aggressive, angry and abusive' thug who killed a Doncaster dad with a single punch has been jailed for over three years.
James Harvey was sentenced to 40 months in prison after admitting to causing the death of 35-year-old Darron Januszkiewicz at an earlier hearing.James Harvey was sentenced to 40 months in prison after admitting to causing the death of 35-year-old Darron Januszkiewicz at an earlier hearing.
James Harvey was sentenced to 40 months in prison after admitting to causing the death of 35-year-old Darron Januszkiewicz at an earlier hearing.

James Harvey was sentenced to 40 months in prison after admitting to causing the death of 35-year-old Darron Januszkiewicz at an earlier hearing.

Harvey, aged 34, of Park Road, Askern, was charged with manslaughter after dad-of-two Mr Januszkiewicz was fatally injured during a row in Station Road, Askern, at around 1am on May 30.

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During the hearing today, Sheffield Crown Court heard how before the fatal attack, Mr Januszkiewicz had been involved in an ‘exchange of words’ with Harvey’s friend Kevin O’Callaghan at the Crown Hotel in High Street, Askern at around midnight.

Prosecution barrister Simon Waley told the court how following the exchange, Harvey was heard talking about Mr Januszkiewicz saying ‘I could smack him’ and swearing about him.

Mr O’Callaghan was then asked to leave the pub as a result of the row.

Mr Waley said: “Almost all parties involved had been drinking heavily.”

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Mr Januszkiewicz left the pub at closing time at around 1am, and began making his way home along Station Road in Askern where he became embroiled in a ‘scuffle’ with Mr O’Callaghan.

“Although it was suggested that some punches were thrown, none made contact. The result was ineffectual and drunken,” said Mr Wiley.

He told the court how following the scuffle Harvey made his way over to Mr Januszkiewicz, and was seen walking over to him in a ‘determined’ way.

It was at that point that Harvey threw a single punch at Mr Januszkiewicz which caused him to fall backwards and bang his head on the pavement, causing a serious, and ultimately fatal, brain injury.

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Mr Januszkiewicz never regained consciousness and died several days later on June 6.

The scaffolder leaves behind a wife and two daughters, aged six and 11.

In a victim impact statement written by Mr Januszkiewicz’s parents and read out by his brother, Michael, the court was told how the 35-year-old’s family were struggling to cope in the wake of his death.

It read: “People say that we are brave but they don’t know the pain we feel inside.

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“We are trying to support each other in these very difficult circumstances but it’s very hard.

“We don’t want Darron to be remembered for the circumstances in which he died.

“He was a man that played hard. He enjoyed playing golf and football, and that’s how we shall remember him.”

In mitigation, defence barrister Edward Moss praised Harvey for pleading guilty to the charge of manslaughter at the first opportunity.

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He added: “Mr Harvey is a hard-working family man. He has shown clear remorse for what he has done.”

Sentencing, Judge Julian Goose QC said he believed Harvey had deliberately escalated the situation between Mr Januszkiewicz and Mr O’Callaghan.

He said: “You were aggressive, angry and abusive.

“You offered a single and hard blow, probably rendering him unconscious straight away.”