[A] man has been sentenced to seven and a half years for assaulting his boyfriend and leaving him with a fatal head injury.
Jonathan Armstrong, 43, had been in a relationship with Dean Bowe, 32, for a year before the incident that took his life on September 7 last year.
He has today been sentenced to seven and a half years for manslaughter at Newcastle Crown Court.
The couple had been drinking heavily in the flat they shared in South Parade, Whitley Bay, when the assault occurred.
Dean was left unconscious on the floor of the flat for more than an hour before Armstrong attempted to obtain medical assistance.
Paramedics arrived at the address and found Bowe’s body covered in bruises and with a significant head injury.
Dean was taken to hospital but despite medical intervention could not be saved.
Detective Sergeant Ian Paxton has today welcomed the sentence and hopes it can give Dean’s family a sense of justice.
He said: “This has been a difficult time for Dean’s family and they have been extremely dignified throughout this investigation.
“The way in which Armstrong has treated someone he supposedly cared about has been totally inhumane. To leave Dean unconscious on the floor for over an hour before calling an ambulance is abhorrent, just to be able to concoct a defence.
“I hope today’s sentence brings some justice to Dean’s family who will now have to face the rest of their lives without him.”
