i'll never see Jack again - I hope our story will make people think twice before throwing their fists around

The girlfriend of a trainee barrister Jack Jermy-Doyle learnt of his injuries as she was getting ready for his sister's wedding.

Kaitlyn Booth was getting ready when she received a flurry of messages that Jack had been seriously injured. Speaking last year, the dental nurse said: "The signal was terrible but I finally managed to get a hold of his sister, Leanne, who told me that doctors were saying Jack had irreversible brain damage. "My dad drove me over to Preston hospital. The nurse came over and explained the extent of the damage and told us that there was absolutely no way Jack would survive this and it would only be a matter of time before his heart stopped beating.

Join our new WhatsApp Community to get the latest news and top stories from across Lancashire directly to your phone. "I just remember breaking down but trying so hard not to because in my head there was still hope. I didn't want to accept it."

In an unbearable situation, Kaitlyn forced herself to leave Jack's side to go and support her sister on her special day.

Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with The LEP’s free emails Kaitlyn said: "After visiting Jack, me and dad made our way back to the rest of the family to support my sister at her wedding. It was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, trying to smile through such horrific pain.”

Today a judge jailed Jack's killers for his senseless killing.

At trial, evidence was produced by the prosecution to show that throughout the night of August 12, 2022 both Parkinson and Fairclough had been involved in aggressive behaviour and had been seen in and out of bars making a nuisance of themselves and fighting.

25-year-old Jack Jermy-Doyle was out with a friend the same night. They started the night in Chorley before heading into Preston city centre.

At around 2.30am on August 12, 2023, Jack and his friend were in the area of Flag Market. He was ahead of his friend, who was sat on a bench, and Jack was approached by Parkinson and Fairclough.

Parkinson delivered a blow to Jack's stomach. Almost immediately after that, Fairclough punched him in the face.

The blow to his face knocked the 25-year-old to the ground where he banged his head and was knocked unconscious.

Fairclough and Parkinson did nothing to assist their victim, and instead they fled the scene leaving Jack's friend to seek help and call the emergency services.

Despite the best efforts of paramedics and staff at Royal Preston Hospital, Jack failed to regain consciousness and died from head injuries on August 14 - just two weeks before his 26th birthday.

Jake Parkinson, 22, of Bow Lane, Preston, had denied manslaughter but was found guilty of killing Jack Jermy-Doyle following a trial at Preston Crown Court. He was sentenced to eight years behind bars.

His friend Jak Fairclough, 29, of Blackpool Road, Preston, had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to six years and four months. Kaitlyn said: “It hurts to know that I am never going to see him again. It’s difficult looking into the future because Jack should have been in my future. “We were supposed to get married and have children and live a long and happy life together growing old with each other. But it was all taken with one punch. “I hope that our story will make people think twice before throwing their fists around.”