A MAN who admitted killing a scaffolder in a drunken row has been jailed for three years.

Father-of-four Stuart Readman, from Middlesbrough, died in Jersey after being punched once by a stranger.

Mark Holden, 34, of Hampshire, was jailed at the island's Royal Court after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

The court heard how he punched the 38-year-old once in the face during an argument in the foyer of a St Helier hotel.

Mr Readman, who had been working on the island for three months, fell to the ground, cracked his head on the pavement and suffered brain injures, which killed him 30 hours later.

Cyril Whelan, prosecuting, said both men were very drunk.

"There is no evidence that the accused and the deceased met or were involved with each other throughout the evening," he said. "They were strangers."

He said police believed there was an incident between them outside a nightclub in the early hours of May 25.

Soon after, Holden and a friend arrived at the hotel where the defendant lodged, to find Mr Readman entering the building.

A witness saw the pair tussle before Mr Readman fell down a flight of steps. Holden followed him and began shouting at the scaffolder, before punching him in the face.

Holden then went to his room, slept for the night and spent the rest of the weekend drinking before being arrested by detectives.

Mr Readman was found unconscious on the pavement and taken to hospital, where he died with his family at his bedside.

Police could not discover the cause of the row because of Holden's intoxicated state.

Julian Gollop, mitigating, said: "Holden has shown considerable remorse and regret and must spend the rest of his life knowing that he has killed someone.

"The blow did not cause the fatal injuries. It was the hitting of the head on the pavement."

Sentencing him, Deputy Bailiff Michael Birt said the attack was clearly out of character. But he noted the defendant left his victim and carried on drinking over the weekend, while Mr Readman lay on a life support machine.

Mr Readman's family, who were in court to hear the sentence, were last night too upset to comment.