Man charged following soldier's death

24 February 2011, 14:12 | Updated: 7 March 2011, 17:17

A 25-year-old man has been charged with the manslaughter of a young paratrooper who was about to start a tour of Afghanistan.

20 year old Rory McWilliams, who was a medic, was assaulted in Northampton town centre at around 2.25am on Sunday 6 February.

He died in hospital from massive brain injuries on Saturday 12 February.

Rory from Northampton had gone out to celebrate his final weekend at home before starting his first tour of Afghanistan when he was assaulted in the street.

The man charged with Rory's manslaughter was arrested by officers yesterday (Wednesday February 23rd) and has been released on bail, to attend Northampton Magistrates Court on Thursday 3 March.

A second 25-year-old man, who was arrested on suspicion of murder last week, was released on bail pending further enquiries.

Both men had previously been arrested on suspicion of inflicting grievous bodily harm in connection with the incident and released on bail.

Police are still appealing for a young man who is believed to have been a witness to this incident to come forward.

This man is known to have been sitting on the kerb, near to Dominos Pizza, and was apparently looking for directions to the nearby Fever night club.