Student jailed for one punch that killed
ARGUMENT OUTSIDE TAKEAWAY ENDED IN DEATH
A STUDENT has been jailed for killing a grandfather with a single punch outside a takeaway.
Jafar Ali, an aspiring football manager who had never been in trouble with the law, aimed a swinging right hand at Keith Maden, who a judge ruled had been ‘at least argumentative and aggressive’ and who may also have uttered a racial slur.
Diminutive Mr Maden, 59, who had health problems, fell backwards and hit his head on a pavement.
His stocky 19-year-old attacker fled, shouting ‘you deserve that’ at his prone victim before he ran way.
After Ali was locked up, a senior detective said: “In just a few seconds, Ali took a complete stranger away from the people who loved him the most.
“(Keith) Maden had no idea when he left the hotel to get some food that he was taking his last steps, thanks to Ali’s violent actions.”
Mr Maden, a popular figure in the pubs around Rochdale and Littleborough, never regained consciousness and died of catastrophic head injuries.
He was attacked outside Dixy Chicken in Rochdale town centre on September 28, last year.
Mr Maden was said to have been angry either because Ali and his friends were blocking the entrance to the takeaway or because he had seen youths throwing fireworks.
Ali would go on to claim 5ft 4ins Keith had threatened to headbutt him and aimed a racial insult at him, insisting he acted in self-defence.
A jury disagreed and convicted Ali of one count of manslaughter earlier this month. He was jailed for fourand-a-half years at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court.
Mr Maden, who had just become a grandfather, had consumed a pint and a half of lager at The Reed Hotel before going out to smoke a cigarette with friends.
The court heard ‘words were exchanged’ between Mr Maden’s group and youths who were throwing bangers, although Ali was not one of them.
CCTV played to the jury in the trial showed Ali, 20, who was waiting for his food order, was blocking the entrance with his friends when Mr Maden approached the Yorkshire Street takeaway at about 9.15pm.
A furious exchange followed, lasting no more than 90 seconds, which ended with Mr Maden suffering fatal head injuries, it was said.
Judge Potter said: “I accept Mr Maden’s behaviour was aggressive and offensive. However, what followed was an unlawful act by you which was to have fatal consequences.
“You lost your temper and unnecessarily took a deliberate step forwards to administer a single punch with your right fist to the left-handside of Mr Maden’s head.”
Judge Potter said the act had been ‘an uncharacteristic momentary resort in temper to an act of violence which has brought tragedy to many people.’
The death had devastated the Maden family but also the ‘hardworking’ Ali family, said the judge.