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.