A 34-YEAR-OLD man appeared in court in Jersey yesterday charged with the manslaughter of North-East scaffolder Stuart Readman.

The father-of-four, from Middlesbrough, died on Sunday from head injuries following an attack in St Helier in the early hours of Saturday.

Yesterday, Mark Holden, from Hampshire, appeared before the Magistrate in St Helier and reserved his plea to unlawfully killing 38-year-old Mr Readman.

Lawyer Julian Gollop, for Mr Holden, contested the suggestion by Magistrate Ian Le Marquand that the charge was too serious to be dealt with by the court.

Mr Gollop said the incident which led to Mr Readman lying on the pavement consisted of a single punch, adding that it was possible a sentence of 12 months could be imposed by the lower court.

He told the hearing that media reports of Mr Readman sustaining a vicious attack were wholly inconsistent with the facts of the case.

Prosecuting lawyer Robin Morris asked that the court issue an order preventing the Press from printing a picture of Mr Holden because identity was likely to be an issue if there was a trial.

The Magistrate yesterday made no decision on whether to start committal proceedings for the Royal Court, Jersey's equivalent of a crown court.

He remanded Mr Holden in custody to appear before the court on June 26.