Man sentenced for killing his dad in pub garden
Durham PoliceA man who killed his father on Christmas Eve hours after finding out he was his son has been jailed for six years.
Martin Greensmith, 37, only learnt Steven Shevels, 61, was his biological father shortly before their encounter at The Queen's Head in Willington, County Durham, on 24 December.
Greensmith, who was found guilty of manslaughter last month, said he only "gently" pushed Shevels after the victim "intimidated" him, but prosecutors maintained he had caused his death during a fit of anger.
In a victim impact statement read at Newcastle Crown Court, Shevels' daughter Chloe said her father was a "quiet and timid man" who loved nature and rock music.
Shevels hit his head on the concrete floor of the pub's beer garden and died after being pushed over by Greensmith.
The court heard Greensmith was at the pub when Shevels, who was drunk, came in and had several exchanges with Greensmith's family.
At some point, Greensmith's mother told him for the first time Shevels was his biological father.
Family handoutThe court heard that later on, when both men were in the beer garden, Greensmith approached Shevels and delivered a "powerful and aggressive push" to his upper body, causing him to immediately fall and hit his head on the concrete floor.
Judge Carroll said: "The jury, rightly in my view, rejected your assertion of self-defence."
He told Greensmith Shevels had been presenting "absolutely no risk or threat to you".
Chloe Shevels said she heard of her father's death "through gossip from other people when I was opening presents".
"I now dread the thought of Christmas," she said.
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 said: "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."
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 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".