A TEENAGE girl has been spared custody after pleading guilty to killing a 53-year-old man.

The girl, who was 16 at the time of the offence and cannot be named for legal reasons, denied a charge of murdering David James, who was found dead at his home in Brick Kiln Street, Evesham. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Mr James, a divorced father-of-two, was a prison officer at Long Lartin, near Evesham, and his heavy drinking was a factor in his death, the court heard.

Philip Bennetts QC, prosecuting, told Worcester Crown Court Mr James was a chronic alcoholic who died after the girl, who had also been drinking, punched him and broke his nose before breaking three ribs with a kick.

Mr Bennetts said the cause of death was internal bleeding caused by the kick but it was only brought about because his ribs had been weakened by osteoporosis from Mr James’ years of drinking. The blow he suffered would normally only have caused a bruise.

In the morning, police called at his flat to take a statement and found him dead on the sofa.

David Crigman QC, defending, said Mr James had “self-destructive alcoholism” and would go straight to the pub in the mornings after finishing work.

His ribs were not those of a normal 53-year-old man and he could have been saved if he had taken the advice of paramedics and police and gone to hospital.

He said the girl will carry the full weight of reponsibility for his death for a very long time.

“She is a young woman who is completely beaten down,” he said.

Judge Alistair McCreath said it was a rare case of manslaughter which would not involve a custodial sentence.

But, he said, the girl had now found some stability after a very difficult childhood.

He said that when she turned 17, she was given a birthday cake for the first time in her life. “To lock you up would undo all the good that has been done and would serve no public interest of any kind,” he told her.

“The result of what you did was terrible but you did not intend it. Justice would not be served by locking you up.”

He gave the girl a three-year rehabilitation order with a supervision requirement involving the youth offending service and the probation service.

She was also given an overnight curfew for six months and 20 days’ work in the community.

He said the reporting restrictions would not be lifted because identifying the girl was unlikely to help her rehabilitation.