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Man jailed for 10 years after killing ‘much-loved family man’

Custody image of Thomas Webber

One man has been jailed over the death of a ‘loving and caring’ man from Bridgwater.

Thomas Webber, 32 of Old Taunton Road, Bridgwater, has been sentenced at Bristol Crown Court today (Wednesday 14 June) after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Webber has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

The court heard that on Monday 13 June last year, an ambulance was called to Old Taunton Road, in Bridgwater, after a man had been assaulted and sustained a serious head injury.

Simon Edney, aged 59 at the time, had been taken to hospital and sadly died on Saturday 30 July.

The Major Crime Investigative Team (MCIT) conducted a thorough investigation into how Mr Edney had sustained his injuries.

Officers found that Webber had been involved in an argument earlier that Monday with Mr Edney, where he was seen to punch Mr Edney.

Moments later, Webber approached the victim again before hitting him to the floor, causing him to sustain a significant head wound.

In three personal statements written by Simon’s sister, daughters and his mother, Simon was described as a ‘good man’, who was a ‘funny, quirky and wonderful’ father, grandfather and brother.

Simon has been remembered as a 'loving and caring' man

Wendy, Simon’s sister, added: “I think about my brother every day, his loss is felt so deeply by myself and the rest of the family. He was a good man, son, brother, father, and grandad.

“I find it so upsetting that he is no longer here to live his life and share more times with us all, especially with his daughters and grandchildren. He was such a family man.”

Simon’s daughters, Sarah, Amy and Cheryl, said: “It is impossible to put the full impact of the loss of our dad into words. He was a loving, caring, supporting, funny, quirky, wonderful father and grandfather who was with us every step of our lives.

“He was there for us through all the good and bad. His death will continue to impact all of us for the rest of our lives.

“We are, and have always been, a close-knit family that never goes long without seeing each other and the heartbreak of not seeing our dad two or three times a week hits us harder with each week that goes by since we lost him.

“We miss his ability to make us smile and laugh at the worst of times, like these that we are going through now. We will always love and remember our dad and his death has forever changed our lives.”

Simon’s mother, Florence, said: “Simon was my rock who was always there for me.

“I cannot put into words how much his loss has affected me, or express how impossible it is to move on after his death.

“He was a big support to me and a massive part of my life, I will miss him every day and I will never get over the loss of my son and the way he was taken from me.”

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Mark Newbury, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “While Webber may not have intended to kill his victim, his actions led to Simon’s death and, when you choose to be violent, this is always a risk.

“This is an incredibly sad incident in which a much-loved family man was taken too soon. Our hearts go out to Simon’s family as they continue to come to terms with the devastating loss and they continue to be supported by a specially-trained family liaison officer.

“We hope this sentence will give the family some justice and will aid them in coming to terms with what has happened.”