Jury told Jake Parkinson accused of killing Jack Jermy-Doyle in Preston was part of one-way joint attack

A jury has been asked to decide if legal assistant Jack Jermy-Doyle died at the hands of two drunken thugs in Preston city centre . . . and not just one.

Sitting in court just yards from the spot where the 25-year-old was killed during a night out, the panel of 12 people were urged to find that his death was a joint attack by two men who for hours that evening had been “making a nuisance of themselves in a violent and unpleasant way.”

The court heard that one man – 29-year-old Jak Fairclough – had already pleaded guilty to manslaughter by delivering a punch which knocked Jack to the floor and caused an unsurvivable head injury.

But his companion Jake Parkinson, 22, of Bow Lane, Preston has gone on trial at Preston Crown Court, denying his involvement in the incident contributed to his death.

Prosecution barrister Michael Hayton KC, told the jury that Parkinson had been seen on CCTV footage to have been the first to punch Jack, hitting him in the body, before Fairclough followed up with the fatal strike.

“Violence was carried out by both Mr Fairclough and Mr Parkinson,” he said. “(That) violence was carried out only one way – towards Mr Jermy-Doyle. The two blows were part of a joint attack on him.

“The Crown say this was a joint attack by two men on one and that violence led to Mr Jermy-Doyle’s death.”

Parkinson has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of manslaughter.

Judge Graham Knowles told the jury they had to be sure of his guilt at the end of a trial expected to last up to five days. If they weren’t then they should acquit him.

Outlining the prosecution’s case Mr Hayton said the charge had resulted from an incident on August 12, 2022 at the corner of Harris Street and Birley Street – just outside the Crown Court Sessions House – when Parkinson and Fairclough came across Jack who was out with his friend Robert Jones.

Jack was just two weeks short of his 26th birthday and, having been punched by Fairclough, he fell to the floor hitting his head on the pavement. He died in hospital two days later.

Mr Hayton told the jury the incident had taken place “extremely close to where you now sit – just outside this building.

“The charge is manslaughter. That means it is the unlawful killing of an individual where you attempt to do some harm. It falls short of murder, or where an attacker intended to cause really serious harm or to kill. It is where actions led to death.

“On the evening of August 11 Jack Jermy-Doyle had gone out with his friend Robert Jones for a drink. They began outside Preston, but as the evening went on they ended up here in Preston.

“Jack consumed a significant amount of alcohol. It also fair to say he was in good spirits.

“This defendant (Parkinson) was also out in the city centre. He was with a number of other individuals, including Mr Fairclough.

“To be clear Mr Fairclough and Mr Parkinson were together at the time of the violence perpetrated against Mr Jermy-Doyle. When that violence was carried out there was action by both of them.

“Mr Fairclough and this defendant (Parkinson) were not in good spirits, in the sense that when they were out during that night they were seen to be, on a number of occasions, behaving in an aggressive way towards others and amongst themselves.

“They were out that night in drink and were making a nuisance of themselves in a violent and unpleasant way, which culminated in the early hours when they came across Mr Jermy-Doyle. They came into close proximity to each other and violence was carried out by Mr Fairclough and Mr Parkinson.

“The first thing that occurred was a blow into the body of Mr Jermy-Doyle by this defendant, followed shortly after by a punch by Mr Fairclough which connected with Mr Jermy-Doyle and knocked him to the floor.

“In falling to the floor his head came into contact with the floor. Sadly his injuries were such that he was never to recover.”

He added that the two men’s actions that night had been “part of a pattern of violent behaviour that ended in death.”

(Proceeding)