THE thug responsible for the death of a man he hit over the head with a spade has been jailed for life.

Thomas Joseph Power got into an argument with Stephen Learmonth Wilson on July 23, 2009.

Mr Wilson went for a drink at the Fairfax pub on Fairfax Road, Prestwich.

Power, aged 25, of no fixed address, armed himself with a spade and made his way to the pub, where hit Mr Wilson over the head with the spade.

He suffered three crushed bones in his neck and was left paralysed from the shoulders down.

Mr Wilson spent more than a year in a specialist unit at Southport and Formby hospital before he died in August 2010 from an infection caused by his injuries.

He had four children, aged between five and 14.

Following the assault Power went into hiding and was eventually arrested in Southport on Christmas Day, 2009.

In a statement Mr Wilson’s family said: “It has been a very solemn time for all the members of our family since Stephen's passing and no matter what sentence Power had received, it wouldn't and couldn't replace or give comfort to the void left in all our lives.”

Det Con David Thorpe, from Bury CID, said: Stephen suffered what can only be described as horrendous and permanent injuries because of Power's reckless and completely unprovoked attack, injuries he had to live with for more than a year before he ultimately died.

“Stephen’s family have been devastated not only by his death but his prolonged suffering beforehand, all of which was completely avoidable.

“In the blink of an eye a many number of lives have been changed for the worse and this incident is a catastrophic reminder of the potential consequences of attacking another person with a weapon.”

Power was convicted of one count of murder.

He had pleaded not guilty.