A builder has been jailed after killing an ex-workmate in a drunken punching game following ‘banter’ between them about who could take the hardest blow.
Jason Thomas, 40, hit 22-year-old Liam Morgan-Whittle twice to the head – knocking the victim out and leaving him with a bleed on the brain in Llanelli, Wales.
Mr Morgan-Whittle died at the scene in March 2023 and Thomas has now been jailed for two and a half years after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
A court heard how Thomas asked, ‘What have I done? Have I killed him?’, before helping with CPR and trying to flag down paramedics.
The pair, who previously worked for the same construction firm, had been joking together at a friend’s house before the argument turned aggressive, Swansea Crown Court was told.
The court also heard emotional victim impact statements from Mr Morgan-Whittle’s family, with his mother Claire describing him as her ‘handsome boy’ and a ‘whirlwind who filled a room even if he did not say anything’.
Witness told how neither of the punches inflicted by Thomas were ‘friendly’.
And the judge now sentencing Thomas condemned the defendant’s ‘act of the grossest stupidity’.
Jason Thomas, 40, has been jailed for two and a half years after admitting the manslaughter of his former colleague Liam Morgan-Whittle, 22, who he had punched twice in Llanelli, Wales
Liam Morgan-Whittle suffered a bleed on the brain and died at the scene in March 2023
Thomas had initially been arrested on suspicion of assault causing grievous bodily harm following the death in March 2023, Dyfed-Powys Police said.
Officers later discovered there had been a disagreement between the pair – known to each other through a mutual friend – which resulted in the clash.
Ahead of today’s sentencing, prosecutor William Hughes KC told the court: ‘There came a point in the evening where they began a discussion which could be described as banter but became an increasingly aggressive argument as to who could take a punch better.
‘The escalation led to Mr Thomas punching Liam twice in quick succession, causing him to be knocked out and to collapse.’
One friend Michael Davies described how Thomas had told Mr Morgan-Whittle, ‘I’ll hit you first’, before the victim replied: ‘Go on, then.’
Mr Davies told police he had tried to discourage the punching game which took place at his flat in Llanelli, West Wales, after they had drunk sambuca and taken cocaine.
Mr Davies said neither of the punches was ‘friendly’, and told Thomas: ‘What have you done? There was no need for it.’
Thomas allegedly responded: ‘He asked for it – I told him not to mess.’
Jason Thomas, from Llanelli, has been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court (stock image)
Mr Morgan-Whittle’s mother Claire said in her victim impact statement read to the court: ‘He was my first-born and only son, the young boy I taught to ride a bike, read a book and cwtch to sleep.
‘As a teenager Liam played rugby, loved being with his friends and enjoyed a joke even if it was on him.’
Addressing Thomas, she said: ‘Not only did you take Liam’s life that day, you robbed me of my future.’
The victim’s sister Shannon described how their father had been left broken by the loss, adding: ‘He has always been a fixer, but he can’t fix this.’
Alan himself said: ‘I have seen my family crumble, afraid to sleep, and my daughter detaching herself from our family because she cannot deal with what is going on. How could she?
‘I am unable to tell my family it is going to be okay, because it is not. Losing Liam shattered our world. Every moment feels like an unbearable weight.’
John Hipkin KC, defending, said: ‘Jason Thomas never intended that Liam Morgan-Whittle be seriously injured, let alone die. There was a punch-for-punch game the two had become involved in.
‘The defendant and Liam were joking and laughing for the majority of this conversation.’
He added: ‘Jason Thomas has struggled to cope with what he has done. His remorse is genuine.’
Judge Paul Thomas KC said: ‘This act of the grossest stupidity two years ago cost a 22-year-old man his life.
‘This tragic event was fuelled by your excessive alcohol and cocaine use which caused you to lose all common sense. Good-natured banter between the two of you became increasingly competitive and aggressive.
‘You were warned by someone present not to do that. He could see the risk. But you in your substance-befuddled state, could not.
‘Both the punches you delivered were with great force, sufficient to knock him unconscious, and then to go into cardiac arrest from which he never recovered.’
Speaking after the sentence of two and a half years behind bars, Jonathan Pritchard of the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘Regardless of what was said that night, Jason Thomas decided to use his fists and bears full responsibility for his actions.
‘He caused significant injuries through his violence, resulting in the tragic loss of life.
‘The strength of evidence presented by the Crown Prosecution Service led to a guilty plea to manslaughter.
‘Although Thomas has been brought to justice, nothing can change what he did. He will have to live with the consequences for the rest of his life.
‘Our thoughts remain with Liam’s family and friends who have suffered a terrible loss.’
