A thug has been jailed after killing a man he left with catastrophic brain injuries seven years after the ‘cowardly’ attack.
Football hooligan Jordan Docherty punched scaffolder Simon Hackett, 42, outside a working men’s club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in September 2015.
The single blow sent Mr Hackett, who was out with a colleague, crashing to the ground, causing devastating injuries that left him unable to stand, walk or care for himself again.
Docherty had already spent 45 months in a young offender institution after admitting causing grievous bodily harm.
He then punched another man after being released leaving him in a coma two years earlier with similar life-changing injuries to those of Mr Hackett.
But Docherty has once again been jailed, this time for manslaughter, after Mr Hackett, then 35, died in 2022 from complications linked to the brutal attack outside the Buttershaw Lane club following a party.
He admitted his unlawful violence ultimately led to Mr Hackett’s death.
Docherty, father-of-two and self-confessed football hooligan, was sentenced to 15 months behind bars, taking into account his previous sentence.
‘Coward’ Jordan Docherty, 30, has been jailed for 15 months over the manslaughter of Simon Hackett, who died in 2022 after sustaining brain injuries in the attack
Prosecutor Matthew Bean told Leeds Crown Court on Thursday: ‘On September 19, Simon Hackett had gone to a party at the Buttershaw Lane Working Men’s Club.
‘The defendant and his cousin were present. During the course of the party, issues arose between the cousin and Simon and the defendant approached him.
‘There was an altercation and Simon Hackett’s friend suggested they both leave the party.’
The court heard that it was shortly after midnight when the two were followed by Docherty, who barged past the man and then punched Mr Hackett to the ground, YorkshireLive reports.
The man was said to ‘demand to know why he had punched his friend’ and Docherty replied: ‘Do you want some too?’
Mr Bean said: ‘He went back towards the club. People at the scene tried to assist Simon Hackett and the police and an ambulance were called.’
Judge Guy Kearl KC, the Recorder of Leeds, said: ‘This was a single blow, albeit delivered with force. At the time you were aged 20. You were not fully mature. Indeed, you were immature.
‘I take into account the sentence already passed upon you.’
He also said: ‘No sentence that I can pass would be sufficient to compensate them for their loss.
Mr Hackett was left unable to stand, walk or care for himself again in the aftermath of the vicious attack
‘Not just from the death of Simon Hackett, but from the seven years of watching his decline between the date when you punched him and the date when he died.’
‘Their lives have been devastated and will never be the same again.’
Docherty, who was then aged 20, admitted being ‘seven out of 10 on the scale of intoxication’ when he punched Mr Hackett in a row outside the social club.
He escaped the restraints of another man and sprinted 60 metres up the street to launch his deadly blow.
Despite a friend trying to shield the victim, Docherty barged past him and punched Mr Hackett to the face with his right fist, causing him to fall hit his head on the pavement.
He later admitted ‘lashing out’, claiming he had ‘just been sticking up for my family’.
Mr Hackett was taken to Leeds General Infirmary, where he stayed for a year. It was said a CT scan confirmed he had swelling to his brain and a fracture to his skull.
The victim underwent treatment for what was described as the ‘severe traumatic brain injury’ and suffered ‘medical complications’ due to it.
He went through rehab before being moved to Chapel Allerton Hospital where he received around-the-clock care.
Mr Hackett, from Bradford, spent more than six years in hospital.
Suffering with pneumonia in March 2022, Mr Hackett was taken to Huddersfield General Infirmary where he lost his life on April 9 that same year.
He was given end-of-life care after the ‘delayed complications of severe head injuries’.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Hackett’s sister Alicia Manners branded Docherty a ‘coward’.
She said: ‘Seeing Simon after the attack will remain with me for the rest of my life.
‘He could no longer stand, walk, or care for himself in any way. Simon was young, he had his entire future ahead of him.
‘In a split-second, because of a cowardly and senseless act, that future was taken from him.
‘Watching someone you love fade in front of you is a pain that is impossible to fully articulate.’
She also said: ‘He became a father figure to me. He was my protector, my guide and constant source of safety. When domestic violence erupted at our home, he would take me out of the house.
‘Growing up in a predominantly white area, I faced racial abuse. He fought fights that were not his to fight, simply so I felt safe.
‘We shared a bond that was unbreakable. He was not only my brother, but my role model and a person who contributed to creating the foundation of who I am today.’
She added: I remember looking at my brother and thinking, “How could a human do such a thing?” He could no longer dance, walk or care for himself in any way.
‘He was young and had an entire future ahead of him. In a split second, because of a senseless act, that future was taken from him.’
Mr Hackett’s partner Caroline Sykes said in a statement written before his death: ‘We have one 11-year-old daughter. Prior to this assault, he worked as a scaffolder.
‘Emotionally, I have really struggled since the 20th of September 2015. I have only missed two days visiting him in Leeds due to illness.
‘I am incredibly anxious and stressed and suffer with sleepless nights. I have really struggled with this life-changing incident.
‘I have been told by doctors that Simon will never be the same person. After the assault, our daughter started senior school and she missed five weeks because she needed to be at the hospital. They would often go fishing together.’
Mr Bean said Docherty had previous convictions for football-related violence, and was convicted again for assaulting another person in a one-punch attack in 2021.
Leeds Crown Court heard that Docherty punched another man after being released from youth detention.
He was jailed in May 2023 for three years after leaving another man in a coma two years earlier.
The victim, a man in his 30s, suffered similar life-changing injuries to those of Mr Hackett.
The prosecutor added: ‘The defendant was in drink and punched the victim once, causing life-changing injuries, although not as severe as Simon Hackett. [The victim] suffers seizures, short-term memory loss and anxiety.’
Nicholas Johnson, KC, defending, said: ‘This is one of those terrible cases where the intention of the criminal is massively outweighed by the results of his actions.
‘Nothing I can say on behalf of Mr Docherty can right the wrong of what happened 11 years ago.’
He called for clemency given the long period of time since the attack which he said occurred ‘before the word Brexit had even been coined’.
Docherty also has previous convictions for punching a boy aged 16 and using threatening words with intent to cause violence. He told probation workers that fighting at football matches was ‘the norm’.
