Man guilty of manslaughter after bragging he delivered 'street justice' in Northumberland assault

A man has been found guilty of the manslaughter of a father after assaulting him following a verbal altercation and claiming he had carried out "street justice."

Jake McIntyre of Stakeford Crescent, Ashington struck Andrew Peart with a tyre lever before punching him after the argument in the Northumberland village of Guide Post on the evening of Tuesday 22 August.

Mr Peart had initially survived the assault and tried to continue with his evening but was later taken to hospital in Cramlington after his condition deteriorated.

Hospital staff contacted police describing the 39-year-old as having catastrophicbrain injuries. His condition continued to deteriorate and he was transferred to the RVI in Newcastle where he died eight days after the assault.

A Northumbria Police investigation was launched and revealed that earlier in the same evening, Mr Peart had a verbal altercation with the driver of a silver Mitsubishi Shogun on The Square in Guide Post.

McIntyre was identified as the vehicle's driver and was seen driving away after the incident before returning, catching up with Mr Peart near the Guide Post Working Men’s Club, striking him with the metal tyre lever he had in his car.

He then punched his victim leaving him on the floor as he left the scene.

McIntyre fled to Cumbria with footage, released by Northumbria Police, showing him berating the "nightmare" of hiding from the police for giving Mr Peart "street justice."

He was arrested two days later and was charged with assault before the charge was upgraded to murder.

Footage from Cumbria Police shows the moment McIntyre was arrested

McIntrye was cleared of the murder charge after a two-and-a-half-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court but was found guilty of manslaughter instead.

He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.

Following the trial, Mr Peart's family paid tribute to him describing the 39-year-old as a "loving family man" who was a devoted father, brother, son, and friend who worked doing a job he loved as a senior design technician.

The Senior Investigating Officer for the case, Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Barr, said: “The last seven months will have undoubtedly been an incredibly difficult time for Andrew’s family and friends and I applaud their bravery and composure throughout this process.

“There was absolutely no reason for the levels of aggression McIntyre showed that day. He had had time to calm down, but returned to confront Andrew, using significant force towards a devoted father – simply because he had felt disrespected.

“This pointless violent behaviour has caused so much pain and I hope that today can help offer some comfort to the family, and the wider tight-knit community of Guide Post.

“Nothing good ever comes from this type of behaviour as we continue to see time and time again.

“In this case, there was nothing but heart-breaking consequences for all involved.”

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