A MAN has tragically died from a brain bleed after being assaulted twice in three days.
John Farmer was today found guilty of unlawfully killing “fragile and vulnerable” Josh Ingram, 33 in April 2024 in Chatham, Kent.
Farmer punched Josh just days after the victim was hit by another man.
Following the previous attack, Josh was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma, a serious condition where blood collects between the skull and the brain’s protective outer membrane, usually caused by a head injury.
The prosecution found that Farmer’s attack on Josh put him at “significantly increased risk” from a subsequent attack, despite not being able to conclude if Farmer caused or contributed to Josh’s death.
The assault caused the victim to suffer either a re-bleed or a more significant hematoma.
Medical staff made the heartbreaking decision to switch off Josh’s life support at King’s College Hospital in London on April 2.
Farmer was charged with manslaughter but said he never laid hands on Josh.
“He agrees that he had a brief conversation with Josh Ingram on the street on April 1,” Beth O’Reilly KC, defending, said.
“He denies, however, that he assaulted Josh Ingram in any way.”
A second suspect, Shane Norley, faced the same manslaughter charge for the first attack on Josh, but was found not guilty.
It took the jury around three hours to convict Farmer, who is likely to be sentenced in January.
Remanding Farmer into custody, Mrs Justice Norton told him: “You have been convicted by the jury of the offence of manslaughter.
“Clearly, I have to sentence you, and that sentence will be measured in years rather than any other shorter length of time.”
At the time of his death, Josh had been living in accommodation for single homeless people.
Before he was assaulted by Farmer, Josh met up with his friend Mark Crane and stole bottles of wine from a local Spa before making their way to the woods to drink them.
After Josh became intoxicated, the two walked home but he soon struggled to breathe and and rested on a double-height kerb in a car park.
Farmer, who was walking his dog, knew Josh “through association” before exchanging words and subsequently landing two fatal punches.
Farmer’s lawyer argued that his client did not punch the victim “once, twice or three times”, to which Mr Crane responded: “Josh was assaulted, full stop. No doubt about that.”
Josh’s was described by his family as “kind-hearted, old-fashioned and humorous”.
His sister, Carly, added: “Losing Josh is indescribable and no words can explain how hard it has been to come to terms with.”
