A man has been jailed for more than six years for killing his drug dealer in a fight over unpaid debts.
Francis Reilly, 63, died from his injuries following the three-minute altercation in Ingrave Road, Brentwood, Essex, on 12 September last year.
Mr Reilly had sprayed ammonia from a bottle into John Moore’s face when he came to the defendant’s home to chase payment for drugs he had supplied.
Moore, 39, admitted manslaughter, having claimed he acted in self defence when he hit Mr Reilly with a hammer and pushed him against a wall.
He was jailed for 74 months, with the last third of his sentence to be spent on licence.
In her sentencing remarks, Judge Samantha Leigh explained that a jury failed to reach a verdict when Moore was on trial for murder.
But he later admitted manslaughter once medical evidence revealed the hammer injuries were not the cause of Mr Reilly’s death.
Post-mortem examinations found Mr Reilly had “catastrophic injuries” to his chest area, including 20 broken ribs, the judge said. His lungs had been pierced and as a consequence his heart failed.
Francis Reilly died after going to John Moore’s house in Brentwood to confront him over unpaid drug debts [Essex Police]
The fight began inside Moore’s flat, where neighbours heard sounds “as though someone was being thrown around”.
Moore was sprayed in the face with ammonia before hitting Mr Reilly with a hammer he found under his bed.
The altercation spilled out into the street, where a taxi driver saw “someone being attacked by hammer”, the judge said.
Two patrolling officers were flagged down and police said Moore was “swiftly” arrested. Mr Reilly died from his injuries at the scene.
Judge Leigh praised the conduct of Mr Reilly’s family throughout the trial, saying they had sat through proceedings “patiently and with great dignity”.
“Yes he was a drug dealer, and had used violence before, but he was a family man, a husband, and had children who will miss him terribly,” she said.
John Moore continued to attack his victim outside his home in Ingrave Road [Elliot Deady/BBC]
In a statement released last year, his family said he was a “loving father, brother, grandfather and uncle” who was “greatly loved by his whole family and will be sadly missed”.
Senior investigating officer at Essex Police, Det Insp Lisa Hurrell, said “Whatever Mr Reilly’s motivations for visiting Moore that day, whatever took place between the two men, it was no excuse and no justification for what was to follow.
“Nobody deserves to die in the way [Mr Reilly] did and it was only right we ensured Moore was unable to get away with his horrific actions that day.”
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