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Duncan Keating, 58, was hit with a parasol and repeatedly thumped in a violent attack at a retirement complex in Ancoats, Manchester, just two days after the UK’s historic vote to leave the European Union. He was found dead in his room six hours after the fight with neighbour and Remain voter Graham Dunne in the communal garden they shared.

MEN Duncan Keating was found dead in his room, kneeling by his bed

Dunne, 62, was jailed for four years and five months at Manchester Crown Court today after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Mr Keating. He also admitted causing grievous bodily harm to a 56-year-old man he attacked with a hammer, and a charge of criminal damage, dating back to July last year.

MEN Remain voter Graham Dunne assaulted the elderly man in their shared gardens

The court heard disturbing CCTV footage from the complex, a grade II-listed sheltered housing unit, captured the shocking attack on Mr Keating. The pensioner had been planting seedlings in the garden when he struck up a conversation with his neighbour Dunne, asking about the referendum and which way he had voted. But when Dunne learned he was a Leave voter, he flew into a rage and backed the elderly man into a corner.

MEN The fight broke out over the EU referendum in their shared retirement block

Prosecutor Maria Brannan told court: “The defendant became aggressive, asking if he had children, saying f****** think about their generation, not yours’.” He then brought up the fact that Mr Keating had accidentally flooded another resident’s flat by leaving a tap on, adding: “I’m going to have you, let’s f****** sort this out.” During the shocking 15 minute attack, appalled witnesses saw Dunne haranguing, shoving and punching the helpless victim, who offered no resistance. Mr Keating can be seen falling heavily against a stone centrepiece after being pushed over a distance of several feet, and is repeatedly punched as he lay backwards on a garden chair. One witness saw Dunne douse the victim with fertiliser before threatening: “I’m gonna burn you.”

MEN Police were called out but the men said there was no problem

Police were called following the violent altercation, but officers left after the men told them there was no problem. Later that evening, Mr Keating was seen with a tennis ball sized swelling to the left side of his jaw, and a large swelling on his left arm but he told friends it was the result of ‘handbags’. He was found dead in a kneeling position by his bed just six hours after the assault - and after Dunne had visited his home three times. Dunne’s blood was recovered from the wall outside the room, and he later complained that the victim had broken his nose.

MEN Mr Keating was visited in his room by Mr Dunne three times after the fight

The defendant became aggressive, asking if he had children, saying f****** think about their generation, not yours’. Prosecutor Maria Brannan

A pathologist concluded that Mr Keating had died from positional asphyxia and intoxication through consumption of alcohol, methadone and cannabis. At the time, Dunne was on bail for smashing up his friend’s flat in Miles Platting with a hammer, before hitting him with it and fracturing a collarbone, breaking a rib and puncturing his lung. Keith Harrison, defending Dunne, said: “He’s not a man with a history of violence, and he’s been out of trouble for a very long time. “In 2014 his wife, after a serious long illness, died after a 40-year marriage, and it left him in total ruin. “He began drinking, that’s not the responsibility of these two complainants obviously, but it does explain why there was a complete change in his behaviour and character. Something went seriously wrong with his life.”

MEN One witness saw Dunne douse the victim with fertiliser