Review of the Year 2017: April - Sheffield man jailed for killing workmate in football row and huge boost for city economy

A grisly start to April as Sheffield man Dean Hartley was jailed for eight years for killing a workmate with a single punch, following a row over football.
Dean Hartley has been jailed for killing a workmateDean Hartley has been jailed for killing a workmate
Dean Hartley has been jailed for killing a workmate

Hartley, aged 30, struck the dad-of-two, Karl Swift, with such force he suffered a broken jaw and was knocked unconscious before he hit the ground. He died in hospital two days later. The pair had been drinking at a pub in the West Midlands on September 8 last year, before the disagreement.

Despite initially lying to police about what had happened, a jury took just 22 minutes to unanimously find Hartley guilty, and Judge Hames Burbidge QC said: “No sentence I can impose can represent a man’s life. You will be able to return to your family when the sentence has been served. Mr Swift will not, and his sons have lost the opportunity of growing up with the guidance of their father.”

Daisy FrenchDaisy French
Daisy French
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Also this month, 16-year-old girl Daisy French died after being struck by a train at Meadowhall.

The death sparked calls for safety barriers to be introduced on the platforms.

It was later revealed that the teenager, who had suffered a number of mental health issues, left a series of heartbreaking notes about her “personal anguish.”

The popular schoolgirl had been diagnosed with psychosis, Asperger’s and depression when she was just 12 years old, and had made a number of previous attempts to take her own life.

Dad-of-two Karl Swift died after he was punched by Dean HartleyDad-of-two Karl Swift died after he was punched by Dean Hartley
Dad-of-two Karl Swift died after he was punched by Dean Hartley
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And there was cause for celebration among Sheffield’s snooker lovers this month, after the city signed a deal to keep the Snooker World Championship tournament until at least 2027.

Businesses revealed the tournament provides a spike in revenue as competitors spend in their shops, giving a lift to the city’s economy.