Pair jailed for the death of a homeless man following an argument over drugs

Two people have been jailed for the manslaughter of Stephen Eastwood, from York, who died two years after being attacked.

Andrew Fowler, 43, previously of Monkton Road, York was jailed for seven years and Amanda Jane Moran, 29, of Leeds was jailed for six years at Leeds Crown Court.

The pair pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this month after attacking Mr Eastwood on 27 March 2012.

Despite medical treatment, he never recovered from his injuries and died in hospital in May 2014, two years after the attack.

Mr Eastwood, who was 45 at the time of the attack, was left with serious injuries and found unconscious inside a derelict garage on Lawrence Street, York.

Both the victim and the defendants were regular drug users and often slept at the disused garage which was frequented by a number of other homeless people.

Mr Eastwood – also known as Tiv - was attacked during an argument over drugs. Moran and Fowler had given the victim money to buy heroin and when he failed to deliver what they were expecting, they were angry with him.

An argument flared up and both defendants followed Mr Eastwood into a room in the garage where the argument continued. Both defendants later emerged from the room, but Mr Eastwood did not. He was found with serious injuries, bleeding and barely conscious by another person who was present in the building at the time.

Mr Eastwood was taken to York District Hospital and never recovered from his injuries. He remained in hospital until May 2014, when he died at the age of 47.

The cause of his death was pneumonia, which was a direct consequence of his head injury.