Yob killed father-of-three with single punch and then celebrated 'as if he'd scored a goal'

Jeffrey Gosling, 20, could be free in time for next Christmas.

His victim Billy Fellows, 51, had just finished working at a social club he ran when Gosling launched a totally unprovoked attack shortly after midnight on August 25.

Mr Fellows was knocked down and suffered multiple skull fractures when his head hit the pavement.

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As he lay dying, Gosling raised his arms and began jumping in triumph, "as if he had scored a goal", before running off, a court was told.

Though he was sentenced to three years after pleading guilty to manslaughter, the term will be reduced by the 166 days he has spent in custody on remand, making him eligible for release in a year.

His victim's widow, Marian, 53, was yesterday preparing for Christmas without her husband of 27 years at the family home in Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

She has described him as "a big man with a big heart, who loved life".

"He would do anything for anyone, they just had to call," she said. "He had completed the Great North Run 26 times and raised money for a number of charities.

"I spoke to him by phone at around 9pm the night he died and he was his usual happy self. We lost a loving husband, a father and friend in a needless act of violence."

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Mr Fellows, a 51-year-old electrical engineer, had inherited the Archer Street Social Club in Wallsend from his father. On the night he died he was offered a lift home by the club manager, but said he preferred to walk to enjoy the fresh air, Newcastle Crown Court was told.

Within minutes he was approached by Gosling, who had drunk at least six pints of lager, and a friend who has not been identified. They were shouting and trying to provoke him.

Mr Fellows turned away in an attempt to avoid trouble, but Gosling ran after him and punched him on the jaw, the court was told. Penny Moreland, prosecuting, said: "Witnesses describe Gosling dancing across the road, his arms up in jubilation, before running away.

"One described him as behaving as if he had scored a goal. None of the witnesses describe Mr Fellows as showing aggressive behaviour or indeed any resistance at all."

Mr Fellows, who had three children aged 18, 20 and 25, died in hospital soon afterwards.

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Defending Gosling, also from Wallsend, Jamie Adams said he had acted completely out of character after "misreading" the situation. "He never intended to kill or cause serious harm to Mr Fellows," Mr Adams told the court. "He is utterly remorseful. He and his family are deeply conscious of the distress he has brought about.

"He is not ordinarily a callous young man. Those who know him describe him as mild-mannered, polite and gentle."

Sending Gosling to a young offenders' institution, Judge David Hodson said no sentence could ever compensate Mr Fellows's family for their devastating loss.

But he said he accepted Gosling had not intended to kill or cause serious injury to the victim and had shown genuine remorse for what he had done.

He told Gosling: "Mr Fellows didn't respond in any way whatever to what you were doing and the episode appears to have come to an end.

"Inexplicably you then turned round, ran back towards Mr Fellows and attacked him from behind."