# Son who killed his father in beer garden on Christmas Eve shortly after meeting him for the first time jailed for six years

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/son-who-killed-his-father-in-beer-garden-on-christmas-eve-shortly-after-meeting-him-for-the-first-time-jailed-for-six-years/
- Published: 2026-10-23T16:20:43+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-23T16:28:17+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16233425/Son-killed-father-beer-garden-Christmas-Eve-shortly-meeting-time-jailed-six-years.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Art, Culture, World

## Key points

- Greensmith received six years for his father’s manslaughter.
- The fatal push followed their first meeting on Christmas Eve.
- A jury rejected his claim of self-defence.

## Summary

Martin Greensmith, 37, has been jailed for six years for manslaughter after pushing his biological father, Steven Shevels, outside a County Durham pub on Christmas Eve. The two had met for the first time only hours earlier, after Greensmith’s mother told him Shevels was his father; the fatal fall followed an argument in the pub garden.

Shevels, 61, fell backwards, struck his head on the concrete and died at the scene despite attempts to resuscitate him. CCTV showed the push, and jurors rejected Greensmith’s claim that it was a gentle act of self-defence. The judge said Greensmith had been angry and aggressive, while a pre-sentence report suggested he may have felt overwhelmed by the revelation.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.