Manslaughter conviction after Christmas night out leads to death of man
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A Christmas night out in December last year ended with a man being seriously injured after an assault outside a pub in Appleby Magna.
Sadly, the victim never regained consciousness and died six days later.
On Sunday 21 December 2025, David Darke, 66 - also known as Dave to family and friends – was on a Christmas night out at a pub in Appleby Magna when he was punched by 37-year-old Nathan Gothard.
Dave fell to the ground and sustained a serious head injury. He was taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham where he died on 27 December.
Gothard of Church Street, Appleby Magna, was initially arrested on suspicion of Section 20 Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH). Following Dave’s death, he was further arrested on suspicion of murder.
The court heard how during the evening Gothard was harassing and making unwelcome advances to female members of Dave’s group.
Gothard ignored requests from the group to leave them alone, and because of this Gothard was asked repeatedly to leave by staff, and only so after 20 minutes of asking.
More than 10 minutes later Dave and his friends left the premises where Gothard was waiting outside, when Dave was punched by Gothard.
CCTV footage obtained during the investigation captures part of the altercation which led to Dave’s traumatic head injury.
Footage also showed Gothard walking away from the scene to his home which was only a short distance from the pub.
Today (Thursday 7 May) at Leicester Crown Court Gothard was found guilty of manslaughter. He is due to be sentenced on Friday 22 May.
Detective Inspector Kevin Hames, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) Murder Investigation Team, said: “In those fateful few moments a family have been left devastated, and the perpetrator now faces a lengthy term in prison.
“Gothard’s actions that day could have been avoided if he had just walked away. This case highlights how one-punch encounters can result in the loss of life.
“Dave’s family have shown immense courage throughout the investigation and legal process; this has been in no way easy for them. We hope this outcome now helps them to come to terms with the events of that night and the loss of their loved one.”
In November 2023 the force launched the Walk Away campaign which is aimed at empowering men to look out for the early behaviours in themselves and their friends, which might lead to altercations.
We want to encourage peer groups to support each other in making different choices and encourage individuals to recognise those personal trigger points.
Leicestershire Police News Published: 14:05 07/05/2026
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