Two drunken English football fans have been sentenced to life in prison for beating their father to death in a “vicious and unprovoked attack”.
Jason Daguilar, 33, was punched and kicked multiple times after being chased down the street by Ben Wiggett, 29, and Jordan Haynes, 27.
The court heard that the two spent a day drinking before watching England’s 1-0 victory over Croatia in the Euro 2020 final on television.
After the game on June 13 last year, they left the pub around 10pm “seeking violence” and got into an altercation with a group of men, including D’Aguilar, who accused them of throwing bottles at them.
The pair chased the father of the two before launching a vicious attack, leaving him in a pool of blood on the ground.
Paramedics who rushed to Central Avenue in Longbridge, Birmingham, found him with multiple injuries and were taken to hospital, where he died shortly afterwards.
Meanwhile, Wiggett and Haynes had fled the scene before sending each other messages “bragging” about the brutal attack, the court heard.
Wiggett turned himself in to police the next day and told officers he had drunk up to nine pints before the attack and believed the bottle had been thrown at his group of friends by a group that included D’Aguilar.
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Haynes was arrested and said “no comment” in a police interview, but is said to have chuckled when shown CCTV from the night.
Both men were sentenced to life in prison at the Birmingham Criminal Court after being previously convicted of murder at trial.
Haynes of Cofton Hackett in Birmingham was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison, while Wiggett of Wheelie Castle was said to spend at least 14 years in prison.
A third man was acquitted without charge.
After the incident, Daguilar’s family said, “We don’t have enough sentences. As a family, we are sentenced to life imprisonment every day.
“Christmas is just a few days away and sadly there will be no visit to heaven like prison.
“CCTV footage shown during the trial shows Haynes and Wiggett’s cowardice towards Jason.
“It wasn’t a fight, it was a continuous attack on a defenseless man lying on the floor.
“Haynes and Wiggett destroyed the lives of Jason and our children by taking their fathers, so there can be no justice.”