Hospital fight turns deadly: Man jailed for brutal assault
Paul Franks jailed for manslaughter
Paul Franks, 48, was sentenced to eight years behind bars at Sheffield Crown Court. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter before his trial on Monday, 30 May. At the time of the assault, Franks was 47 and living on Blackstock Road.
Fatal attack on hospital ward
Franks attacked Paul Reed, 48, on a hospital ward on the evening of Saturday, 12 February. Staff quickly called police at 8.54pm. Tragically, Reed died from his injuries early the next morning, Sunday, 13 February.
Cause of death revealed
The post-mortem on Monday, 14 February confirmed Mr Reed died from a subdural haemorrhage — a severe brain bleed caused by the assault.
Investigation and sentencing details
“This was an awful and entirely unnecessary incident that resulted in a man tragically losing his life,” said Detective Inspector Andy Knowles, leading the probe. “My heartfelt condolences go out to Mr Reed’s family. I hope they can now begin to move forward, knowing the man responsible is behind bars.”
Franks received six years for manslaughter. An additional two years run concurrently after his community order was revoked for unrelated sex offences, bringing his total sentence to eight years.
