One-punch killer who fled to France jailed for four and a half years
ITV News' Robert Murphy sent this report from Bristol Crown Court
A man who killed a father in a one-punch attack before fleeing to France has been jailed for four and a half years.
Gary Selwood, 59, punched Paul Carter, 69, in an “unprovoked” and “unjustified” attack at a Bristol folk club in February 2022.
After being arrested, he then fled to France. He was extradited back to the UK and was convicted of manslaughter last week.
The attack happened at Whitchurch Folk House in East Dundry Road, Bristol.
Selwood was seen to punch Mr Carter, who then fell back, hitting his head on furniture.
Mr Carter suffered a bleed on the brain. Despite the best efforts by medics at Southmead Hospital, he died in April 2022.
A judge at Bristol Crown Court sentenced Gary Selwood to four and a half years in prison, to serve a minimum two thirds behind bars.
After Selwood's conviction, Mr Carter's family released a statement saying: “Our family has been devastated by our dad being killed by Gary Selwood.
“We’ve been tormented by the pain and suffering inflicted by Selwood from such a mindless attack.
"We had to endure 48 days of torment not knowing if our dad was going to regain any consciousness, before he finally passed away.
“We will never be able to come to terms with losing dad in this horrific way. Nobody deserves this.
"It’s been nearly two-and-a-half years waiting for the trial and only now is justice being served, our lives have felt paused waiting for Selwood’s return from France where he was extradited.
“We still have to live with the knowledge that we may never fully know or understand the reasons for Selwood’s actions.
"Throughout the process, we have seen no evidence of any remorse or taking responsibility for his actions that day. Instead, he tried to call our dad’s character into question, which just hurt even more.
“We have had to relive everything again after so long, and watching the video footage of the attack happen has been so painful.
“We were relieved to hear the verdict of guilty, and the knowledge that justice will be served in sentencing, something that Selwood tried to avoid when he left the UK to set up a new life in France by burying his head in the sand and not owning up to his actions. But our loss will continue as nothing will bring back our dad."
Det Insp Mark Newbury, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “Gary Selwood carried out a reckless assault on Paul Carter, leaving him with a catastrophic head injury from which he never recovered.
“As part of our enquiries we spoke to a number of people who were at the Folk House that night and witnessed the assault and the aftermath, including customers and members of staff, and we appreciate their help with this investigation.
“Our thoughts are very much with Paul’s family, who’ve had to endure a lengthy wait for justice, complicated by the need to extradite Selwood from France, where he moved following his initial arrest.
"Nothing will ever bring Paul back, but we hope this conviction will be of some comfort to them.
“We worked closely with the National Crime Agency and Interpol throughout the extradition process and we’re grateful for the expert help and support they provided the investigation team.
“This case needs to act as a warning to others who engage in needless violence – even one punch can have horrific consequences.
"It can cause devastation to victims and their families, but also to the person who throws the punch.”