'Boxer' cleared of dad's brawl manslaughter

A 'BOXER' who punched a dad during a town centre brawl has been cleared of unlawfully killing him.

- ANDREW BARDSLEY

Piotr Ludwiczak, 35, died after being hit by Brook Marshall-Byrne, before falling to the ground and hitting his head in Bury town centre.

Marshall-Byrne was found not guilty of manslaughter after maintaining that he had acted in self-defence. The pair had both separately been on nights out with friends when the horrific incident occurred in the early hours.

Prosecutors claimed that Mr Ludwiczak was trying to protect a teenager allegedly being attacked by MarshallByrne, when he was said to have been punched to the head with 'tremendous force.

Marshall-Byrne told the jury that he was acting in self-defence. He said that Mr Ludwiczak had held him in a 'bear hug' after the earlier incident and said he 'couldn't breathe! Marshall-Byrne, 20, was found not guilty of manslaughter after jurors spent two days deliberating following a trial at Manchester Crown Court. He was found guilty of affray in relation to events that night, but jurors could not agree on a further charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Mr Ludwiczak, who was born in Poland but had lived in the UK for a decade at the time of his death, had a partner and young son. His devastated family paid tribute to him after his death in July last year.