Two year detention order for cigarette-row manslaughter

Mr Harper, 47, was on his way home from a pub in North Anston, near Rotherham, on May 15 last year when he was approached by six boys and a girl, who had spent the afternoon drinking.

Two of the boys asked him for a cigarette and he handed one over, but when a third boy asked for another, he refused.

Sheffield Crown Court heard that three of the youths then surrounded Mr Harper, and the 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, punched him in the face without warning. Mr Harper fell into the road and was struck by a car.

After the hearing, Mr Harper's sister, Susan Cantillon, called on the Government to review its sentencing guidelines for young people found guilty of manslaughter. "I think the judge did what he could," she said. "I think it is the Government that needs to be accountable."