A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years for the murder of a man who died from an epileptic seizure more than 15 years after a violent street assault.

Jordan Burton was 14 when he took part in the attack on Daniel Allright in Friendly Gardens, Lewisham, in September 2006. Following Mr Allright's death in March 2022 at the age of 31, Burton was convicted of murder at the Old Bailey.

The court heard that Mr Allright had left his home in Oscar Street on his bicycle with two friends when they were approached by a group attempting to rob them. Mr Allright told police that Burton asked him if he wanted to fight before being handed a piece of wood, which Burton used to strike him repeatedly over the head. Two other males joined in, hitting him with weapons including a bicycle chain, while Mr Allright raised his arms to defend himself. The group fled when a person emerged from a nearby shop and told them to leave him alone.

The assault left Mr Allright hospitalised for weeks and requiring two operations. Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC told the court that Mr Allright suffered his first seizure in March 2007. Although prescribed medication, his condition worsened significantly in the months leading up to his death on 26 March 2022, when he suffered a fatal seizure in his bathroom. A post-mortem examination confirmed the cause of death as post-traumatic epilepsy, ruling out drowning or natural disease.

Burton, now of Achilles Street, Lewisham, had pleaded guilty to violent disorder and unlawful wounding in 2008 after initially denying involvement. During his murder trial, he denied wrongdoing, telling jurors he had been pressured into making that earlier admission.

Mitigating, defence counsel Nick Corsellis said Burton had been scouted by Crystal Palace Football Club at age seven as a potential athlete, providing what he termed "a very positive setting". However, his release by the club at 13 following an injury left him with "so much time on his hands".

Sentencing him, Judge Anthony Leonard KC noted that although the 2006 assault lasted only minutes, it left Mr Allright "subject to regular and debilitating seizures". The judge cited aggravating factors, including that Burton had smoked cannabis beforehand, played a leading role in a group attack, and used a weapon in public.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Allright's mother, Geraldine Henderson, said her son had "a heart of gold" and remained positive, adding that she watched him survive thousands of seizures over 16 years. His sister, Victoria Henderson, said: "We watched him fight every day to live. He wanted to live but his life became survival mode. Watching your baby brother go through hell for year upon year... watching him die by degrees over more than 15 years... that broke us."

Burton must serve the 10-year minimum term before the Parole Board considers whether he can be released safely. I will follow any further developments in the case.