Outraged family say sentence is ‘not justice’

annoyed Allan by tapping his cue or niggling him. The judge said: “It is no justification for your thuggish behaviour. “You punched him without warning, giving him no chance to avoid your blow.” Lord Mulholland said it was a forceful punch which resulted in the catastrophic injury that took Jason’s life. In the wake of the attack, Allan took a sip from his pint before leaving Harley’s Skybar, in Main Street, Rutherglen, near Glasgow, on September 2 last year. The court heard that the two men had earlier been playing pool. Prosecutor Michael Meehan said after some time there was a change in body language between them.

Jason had tapped the end of his cue on the table and the accused apparently remonstrated with him.

Mr Meehan said Allan subsequently approached Jason, spoke to him for a few seconds and then punched him in the face with a single blow.

The victim hit the floor and customers went to try to help him as he lay bleeding from his head.

Allan, who was a regular, left the pub minutes later. He was detained by police two days later.

Jason suffered a skull fracture and a bleed on the brain and died in hospital eight days later.

Allan earlier admitted the culpable homicide of his victim by punching him on the head.

Lord Mulholland told him he would have faced an eight-year jail sentence but for his guilty plea.

After the trial, Jason’s partner Nicola Shannon said: “Ridiculous. You say this is justice, that’s not justice.

“No, he’ll be out before he knows it. It’s bloody terrible.

“I’m not just saying it because he was my man but you couldn’t get a nicer guy. We’ve lost him and he’s only getting five years.”