Ashley Pace, 35, of no fixed address, was sentenced today at Wolverhampton Crown Court after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of 38-year-old Jagdev Singh Lally at an earlier hearing.
On 14 April 2020, Ashley Pace dragged Mr Lally, who was trying to sleep in a shopping precinct, from underneath the blankets that he was using for warmth and kicked him whilst he lay defenceless on the ground. One of Pace’s kicks struck Mr Lally’s head with such force it caused irreparable brain damage and, whilst receiving treatment for his injuries in hospital, Mr Lally tragically died.
Ashley Pace at first denied that he was responsible for the assault on Mr Lally, however CCTV and the evidence of eye witnesses, proved he was responsible for the attack. Such was the strength of the prosecution case against him, Ashley Pace was left with no alternative but to admit his crime and, on 19 November 2020, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Karen Nicholls, for the CPS, said: “The evidence in this case demonstrated that Mr Lally was forcefully kicked and thereby killed by Ashley Pace for doing no more than trying to keep warm. The attack on him was senseless and completely unjustified. My thanks go to the witnesses whose evidence led to his conviction. My thoughts go to Mr Lally’s parents who have been left devastated by the loss of their son.”
