A NEWBURY man has been convicted of manslaughter following the death of Sheldon Lewcock in 2022.
Ryan Willicombe, 19 and of Home Straight, has been found guilty of manslaughter, but was found not guilty of murder after a four-week trial at Reading Crown Court.
It follows an incident on Pierces Hill, Tilehurst, in August 2022, when Mr Lewcock was struck by a van being driven by Willicombe.
Mr Lewcock died of his injuries while in hospital five days later.
During the trial, Willicombe claimed that he had been harassed by a group of motorcyclists before the incident.
He claimed that he had unintentionally crashed into Lewcock, who had been one of a group riding motorcycles that he was intending to “scare”.
While he had admitted causing death by dangerous driving, he denied murder and manslaughter at the outset.
However the prosecution alleged that it was the result of animosity between Willicombe and Mr Lewcock’s half brother.
The court heard that after Willicombe struck Mr Lewcock’s brother with the wing mirror of the van, he then struck Mr Lewcock, who was thrown around 30 feet away.
Mr Lewcock was left with a fractured pelvis, and broken limbs, including his thigh bones.
Willicombe failed to stop at the scene, instead abandoning the vehicle and fleeing to south Wales.
The judge presiding over the case, Judge Heather Norton, said earlier in proceedings that she would accept a majority verdict from them following a 14-hour jury deliberation on last week.
The jury returned a guilty verdict on the charge of manslaughter, with a not guilty verdict on charges of murder.
He was also found not guilty of attempted grievous bodily harm of Mr Lewcock’s half-brother.
Willicombe is now due to be sentenced at a later date.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Alice Broad, said: “This has been a difficult and complex investigation and trial at Reading Crown Court over the past few weeks.
“This conviction demonstrates that Ryan Willicombe was responsible for the death of Sheldon Lewcock, on the 4 August 2022 on Pierces Hill.
“My thoughts and that of Thames Valley Police very much remain with the family of Sheldon Lewcock at this difficult time.”
Local Policing Area Commander for Reading, Superintendent Steve Raffield said: “Thames Valley Police will never tolerate violence in its communities and will always seek to bring offenders like Ryan Willicombe to justice.”
