‘Hero’ army veteran killed in ‘row over chicken wings’

A man who killed his ‘hero’ army sergeant friend after a row over chicken wings in a pub beer garden has been jailed.

Paul Ainscough, 57, and his friend, Liam Slack, 34, had been out drinking together before an argument over the food took place on June 22, 2024.

During the argument, Slack pushed Paul, causing him to fall backwards into a wooden fence, landing on a stone step, but he was able to get back up.

Two days later, Paul was found dead at his home in Chorley, Lancashire.

Slack pleaded guilty to manslaughter at a hearing in August and has now been sentenced to four years and two months in jail at Preston Crown Court.

The court heard Paul was a ‘kind and generous’ friend to Slack, and would often lend him money.

Judge Robert Altham, sentencing, said that once he was up off the ground, Paul seemed embarrassed and was making light of it.’

But Slack was unaware of how he had inflicted deadly injuries on his friend, the court heard.

When Paul returned to his home, he told his partner about the argument before walking his dogs at 9.20pm.

Text messages on Paul’s phone showed Slack apologising to him for the fight.

Paul responded: ‘You were a right tw*t and grabbed my chicken. You attacked me and pushed me into a wooden fence, breaking my ribs. I could hardly move.’

On Monday morning, Paul, suffering from abdominal pains, asked his partner for an ambulance.

His partner assumed he was feeling the effects of a hangover as he appeared fine the previous evening.

Around lunchtime, she walked the dogs, leaving Paul asleep on the sofa, but when she returned, shortly before 4pm, he was unresponsive.

Emergency services rushed to his home, but Paul was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post-mortem confirmed he had three broken ribs and died from internal bleeding.

Paul’s son found the messages between the two and reported them to Lancashire Police. An investigation was launched.

Slack was arrested on June 27, 2024, initially on suspicion of Section 18 assault and later on suspicion of murder.

Earlier this year, he was charged with manslaughter.

When sentencing, the judge said: ‘Mr Ainscough was a kind, generous and thoughtful man who was well regarded by those who knew him.

‘He had a proud past, having served in the Army for 24 years before joining the police. What a proud and precious life to have been taken by such a thoughtless act of violence.

‘When you learned of Mr Ainscough’s death, you immediately feared your actions might have been the cause and you expressed regret. Your use of alcohol is troubling.

‘You knew that in drink, you had a tendency to become aggressive. The fact you were drunk is an aggravating factor, as is the vulnerability of Mr Ainscough.’

In a victim impact statement, Paul’s son, Mark, said: ‘Our Dad/Paul was our hero and the person who loved us more than anyone in the world.

‘He was a proud granddad, he adored his grandchildren and used to love seeing them, buying them gifts and sharing stories with them about his time in the army.’

Addressing Slack, Mark said: ‘My dad over his years had faced numerous dangerous situations, in the army and also as a police officer, but nothing like what you have done.

‘You attacked my dad when he was off guard, which is despicable, he was vulnerable, you knew that.’

The judge also said Slack showed ‘genuine and immediate remorse’ and the attack was not premeditated.

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