Lancashire man jailed after pub-garden attack sparked by row over chicken wings led to death of Army veteran
A Lancashire man has been jailed for killing a former Army regimental sergeant major after pushing him into a wooden fence during a row over food in a pub beer garden.
Paul Ainscough, 57, who served in the British Army for 24 years, died two days after the incident.
The attack happened while he was out drinking with friend Liam Slack in Leyland on June 22, 2024.
Mr Ainscough, from Chorley, was found dead at his home on June 24.
When his son later checked his phone, he discovered messages between the pair describing an argument that began when Slack grabbed chicken wings from him at the Stag pub beer garden on Worden Lane.
The messages stated Slack had thrown Mr Ainscough’s rucksack to the ground and pushed him into a solid wooden fence, leaving him struggling to move.
A post-mortem examination found he had suffered multiple fractured ribs and died from blunt-force trauma to the chest.
The discovery of the messages prompted Mr Ainscough’s son to contact Lancashire Police, leading to Slack’s arrest on June 27.
He was initially held on suspicion of assault and later murder, before being charged with manslaughter following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service.
Slack, 34, of Langton Brow, Eccleston, admitted the offence at Preston Crown Court in August.
Returning to the same court for sentencing, he was jailed for four years and two months and must serve at least two-thirds before he can apply for parole.
In a moving statement, Mr Ainscough’s son Mark described his father as “our hero”, a proud grandfather and a man who “served his country for 24 years with courage and honour”.
Addressing Slack, he said: “You attacked my dad when he was off guard which is despicable, he was vulnerable you knew that.”
Det Insp Marc Armstrong, from Lancashire Police’s Force Major Investigation Team, said: “Liam Slack was responsible for Paul’s death and he now starting a sentence of imprisonment.
“This has been a traumatic time for Paul’s family and the trauma of losing a much-loved man will continue. My thoughts are very much with them.
“I’d like to thank the public who came forward during the investigation and provided statements which enable us to establish what happened on that afternoon in June 2024 and helped bring Slack to justice.”