A MANSLAUGHTER charge brought against a Darlington pub manager in connection with the death of a middle-aged man in a bar-room brawl has been dropped.

David Willis, 51, died in hospital, five days after suffering head injuries.

Steve Webb, 35, manager of the Rise Carr Hotel, in Whessoe Road, was charged with the manslaughter of Mr Willis, a family man, of William Street, Darlington.

Last night, Durham Constabulary announced that the case had been discontinued following a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that there was insufficient evidence.

The man who led the police inquiry, Detective Chief Inspector Ian MacDonald, said: "I am satisfied we investigated this incident fully and gathered all the relevant information available.

"Police inquiries into what happened in the pub that night have been completed.

"However, should any further relevant information come to light the matter will be investigated further and assessed on its merits."

Mr Willis's wife, Sandra, and his twin brother, Brian, who travelled to the CPS offices in Durham yesterday to hear the reasons for the decision, declined to comment afterwards.

Mr Willis died after trouble flared at the pub on Saturday, May 18. Despite surgery on his fractured skull, he died in Middlebrough General Hospital.