Teenager jailed for New Year party brick attack in Tamworth
A teenager who killed his friend by hurling a brick at a New Year party in Staffordshire has been sentenced to five-and a-half years' detention for his manslaughter.
Stephan Ward, 18, had denied the murder of 17-year-old Sam Byrne, claiming he had not intended the brick to hit him.
A jury at Stafford Crown Court convicted Ward of the lesser offence in September after hearing how Mr Byrne was struck on the head by the brick outside a house in Tamworth.
The trial heard that Ward, of Masefield Drive, Tamworth, threw the object after being asked to leave a private party in the early hours of January 1 this year.
Speaking after the trial, Detective Inspector Ronnie Walker said: "It was a totally needless waste of a young man's life and left his family and friends devastated."
In a statement issued by Staffordshire Police, Gary and Leanne Byrne, Sam's parents, described his death as devastating.
Mr and Mrs Byrne said: "Sam was a fantastic kid.
"He was a typical laid-back teenager, but very ambitious in his carpentry career, in which he worked as an apprentice with his dad."
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