Man jailed for manslaughter in Margate of Karsten Holmes

Jonathon Cottrell

A man who caused fatal injuries to his victim during an incident at a property in Margate has been jailed for five years.

Witnesses told how Jonathon Cottrell punched Karsten Holmes while at a house in Dane Road in July 2020, causing him to fall and suffer injuries from which he died four days later.

An investigation by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate led to Cottrell being arrested and charged with murder.

Cottrell admitted a charge of manslaughter at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday 13 October and was jailed for five years on Friday (October 22).

Kent Police was called to the address in Dane Road by paramedics from South East Coast Ambulance Service on Tuesday 28 July 2020 following the unexplained death of 47-year-old Mr Holmes.

A subsequent post-mortem examination determined that Mr Holmes had died from internal injuries consistent with an assault.

An investigation was launched and detectives spoke to others who had been at the property in the days before Mr Holmes’ death.

Witnesses said that, four days earlier, Mr Holmes had been at the house with at least three other people when Cottrell attended.

Following a brief misunderstanding, Cottrell punched the victim, knocking him over. Witnesses said the victim had refused hospital treatment at the time and remained at the property until his death.

Cottrell, 35, of Athelstan Road, Cliftonville, was arrested on Saturday 1 August.

Detective Constable Leah Roberts of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: “This is a tragic case and one which shows how incidents of violence can all too easily have serious or fatal consequences.

“I hope the sentence handed down helps Mr Holmes’s family and friends as they come to terms with his death, and I hope this offender uses his time in prison to reflect upon his actions on the day of this assault.”

2 Comments

    • Probably because there were extenuating circumstances-it was the year anniversary of his brothers death & something appears to have been said by the deceased that wound him up, it was one punch where the guy fell & hit his head-not a sustained attack, the deceased refused hospital treatment & it was determined he would have had a 98.67% chance of survival if he had gone, rather than refusing, Cottrell also phoned him up & apologised for his behaviour. The judge said this was a classic one punch manslaughter case & it seems was the first time in his life he had been violent.

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