Father and daughter jailed for killing neighbour in row over football

The pair had an argument with Kelly Machin after she burst the ball before throwing it back in a dispute in Waldwick Close, Leicester, in August last year.

The victim’s neighbour Natalie Bollen, 28, and her 48-year-old father, William Jelly, then went to her address and assaulted the 34-year-old, leaving her with injuries to her ribs and back.

Bollen, of Waldwick Close, and Jelly, of Impey Close, both Leicester, were convicted of manslaughter after a 10-day trial at Leicester Crown Court last month.

The father and daughter were back at the same court on Wednesday where they were jailed for what police described as a “devastating” crime.

After the attack on August 23 last year, Machin was treated in hospital and later discharged, Leicestershire Police said.

But she was then discovered dead on her sofa by a concerned friend, having succumbed to internal bleeding - nearly two weeks later.

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Martin Smalley of East Midlands Special Operations Unit said: “A seemingly minor incident resulted in a person losing their life.

“The defendants’ actions on that day were excessive and they attacked Kelly without regard for the consequences.

“They now face a lengthy prison sentence and two families have been left devastated.”