John Boniface, 60, has been jailed for a second time after stabbing his brother Paul Hinds in the neck on Christmas Day, which left him with paralysis that would ultimately kill him……CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
John Boniface has been convicted of manslaughter, six years after leaving his brother paralysed
A man left paralysed after his own brother stabbed him in the neck during a Christmas Day brawl has died six years after the incident.
Despite the amount of time between the stabbing and the death of Paul Hinds, his brother John Boniface, 60, has now been convicted of manslaughter after experts linked the 2cm cut to his passing.
Boniface was sentenced to three years in prison for GBH in 2016 after the attack on December 25, 2015. He only served a year before being released on licence in October 2017. The incident had a “catastrophic” impact on Paul’s life after the knife severed his spinal cord, leaving him completely paralysed below the waist.
According to medical experts, the pneumonia that killed him at the age of 61 in May 2022 was directly linked to the wound inflicted by his brother. Manchester Crown Court heard paralysis leaves the lungs in a weakened state, making it hard to cough or clear the lungs.
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A general view of Manchester Crown Court
Manchester Crown Court (file)
Boniface has now been jailed for two years and four months for manslaughter, reports Manchester Evening News. Michael Lavery, prosecuting, earlier told the court Mr Hinds went to Boniface’s home in Bradford, Manchester, to celebrate Christmas.
“They spent the day drinking together and listening to music,” he said. Photos from the scene showed a large number of empty beer cans and an empty whisky bottle.
“Tensions between the brothers escalated and this led to the defendant stabbing Hinds in the back of his neck with a kitchen knife,” Mr Lavery added. “The defendant accepts he was drunk at the time.
“It appears there was not a significant amount of bleeding from the small cut,” Judge Elizabeth Nicholls said. “Perhaps he did not realise the seriousness of the injury.”
Mr Lavery added: “It was catastrophic. It completely severed [his] spinal cord, resulting in total paralysis from the chest down, and life-altering medical complications.”
Mr Hinds was diagnosed with complete tetraplegia – a loss of function of the arms, torso and legs. Following treatment at Manchester Royal Infirmary and the spinal injury centre in Southport, he returned to his home. A hospital bed and hoist were fitted.
Mr Hinds’ partner Leslie Fox said in a statement: “I used to take him out to the sea front in Southport. He was not in a good place mentally.
“As far as he was concerned, his life was over. He asked me one day to bring him some tablets as he just wanted to die. He was then given anti-depressants but Paul soon lost interest in getting out of bed. He was able to spoon food into his mouth, but this was all he could do for himself.
“We did not go out much apart from hospital visits as he did not want people looking at him. He was embarrassed about being in a wheelchair.”
Ms Fox, who had been in a relationship with Mr Hinds for over 30 years, said he had worked at the Princes soft drinks factory in Newton Heath. She added: “He had a normal life that was completely devastated by this. He had a close relationship with his brother, they used to spend weekends together and would watch football in the pub.
“I feel very sad about the situation as they were very close and were best friends. I will never fully know what happened that day to make John pick up the knife. When I asked him, he said he didn’t know why.
“I do not believe sending him back to prison would achieve anything. He is already serving a life sentence wherever he is.”
Following Mr Hinds’ death, Boniface was charged with manslaughter. He pleaded guilty after experts established a causal link between the stabbing and his sibling’s eventual death. “My dad’s life was completely destroyed by a person who was supposed to love and care for him,” Mr Hinds’ son Paul said in a statement.
“It took away his independence. He previously had a healthy life and looked after himself but due to his injury he found it very difficult to fight infections that he otherwise would have been able to. If it were not for John’s actions, he would still be alive.”
Defence counsel Hugh Barton said: “It is rare to get a case so tragic and unusual. The two brothers were best friends and were always very close.
“The deceased appears to have been the aggressor in the argument on that day but the defendant accepts that in picking up the knife, he went beyond self-defence.
“He described it as an instinctive defensive action – a single blow which, a few inches away, would not have had the same catastrophic consequences.”
The court heard Boniface had no previous convictions prior to the incident. Mr Bardon added: “He attempted to assist the victim, showed remorse, and there was a lack of pre-meditation.
“He will carry this burden until the day he dies. What he did had terrible consequences on the brother he loved. He is a changed man because of it but does not wallow in self pity. This is just a tragic, tragic case.”
Judge Nicholls said: “It is difficult to imagine a more catastrophic change in someone’s life. [Mr Hinds’] children said their dad’s life was destroyed.
“His partner said he had lost all interest in his life and no longer wanted to go out, so they were both effectively housebound. Their lives closed down around them.
“Ms Fox showed extraordinary compassion and generosity of spirit by speaking of [Boniface’s] suffering. But Hinds’ death was a direct result of the complications of the injury.
“He was at risk of life-threatening infections and it was from this that he eventually died, of pneumonia. This case demonstrates the dangers of knives. It was a single act that destroyed a beloved brother’s life.”
Judge Nicholls said sentencing was ‘a difficult exercise’. “The incident caused seven years of suffering and a life half-lived and the sentence must reflect that,” she added.
“But there are no victors in this case and no sentence will restore Paul to life. I have no doubt that that act was not pre-meditated but arose out of a dispute fuelled by alcohol. You called for assistance and admitted your culpability.
“You have suffered from depression and anxiety and have symptoms of PTSD following this. You are genuinely remorseful and continue to feel grief and guilt for what you did to your brother.”…….CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
