Driver guilty of man’s death in grass cutting row
Mark Wigley has been found guilty of manslaughter after driving into and killing Liam Green during a dispute over grass cutting in Cudworth, near Barnsley. The jury cleared Wigley of murder and acquitted his daughter, Sarah, and brother-in-law, Neil Shaw, of all charges.
Green, 45, was struck by Wigley’s VW Touareg at about 17:00 BST on 3 April. The dispute began when Green offered to cut Wigley’s mother’s grass for £7.50; Wigley said he did not intend to hit Green and claimed he had swerved after Green approached the car with a bat. The judge said the manslaughter conviction was supported by “abundant and clear evidence”; sentencing was scheduled for Thursday.
In short
- Mark Wigley was convicted of manslaughter.
- Liam Green died after being struck by a car.
- Two other defendants were cleared of all charges.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The prosecution’s case is that Wigley’s driving caused Green’s death and that the evidence showed this was unlawful killing amounting to manslaughter, even though the jury did not find murder proved. A person who drives into someone during a dispute can be held responsible for a fatal outcome where the circumstances support that level of criminal culpability.
The case against
Wigley said he did not mean to hit Green and swerved after Green approached the car with a bat, which could support an account of a split-second response to a perceived threat rather than an intentional attack. The jury’s acquittal on murder reflects that the more serious charge was not proved; the manslaughter verdict still leaves room to argue that the death arose from a reckless or panicked act rather than a deliberate killing.
Explained simply
Manslaughter is a criminal offence involving a person’s death, but it does not require proof of the intention to kill that is central to a murder charge. A jury decides whether the prosecution has proved the charge beyond reasonable doubt.
The case arose from a disagreement about cutting grass at the home of Mark Wigley’s mother in Cudworth, near Barnsley. Liam Green was 45, and Wigley was driving a Volkswagen Touareg; Wigley’s daughter Sarah and brother-in-law Neil Shaw were also charged in connection with the incident.
The outcome distinguishes the responsibility the jury found for Wigley from the charges against the other two defendants. It also leaves the court to determine the sentence for the manslaughter conviction.