Man jailed over Brighton stabbing

28 May 2010, 12:38 | Updated: 28 May 2010, 12:49

Michael Bishop was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment at Lewes Crown Court today for the manslaughter of Stuart Slade in Brighton on 30 December, 2008.

The CCTV image shown here was taken in the Kitchen Bar in Preston Street. Mr Slade is on the left facing the bar, Bishop is to the right of the picture. The pair had never met and Slade did not know who Bishop was.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Johns of Sussex Police Major Crime Branch said: "Stuart Slade was fatally wounded and left for dead in the street. He had been drinking in a Brighton bar for some time before, within feet of Michael Bishop, a man he did not know. The night ended tragically for him and our investigation has shown our determination to solve this crime. Our thoughts are with Stuart's family and friends and I hope that seeing Michael Bishop sentenced will bring some closure to this horrific tragedy."

The parents of Stuart Slade have issued the following statement through Sussex Police: "Our son Stuart was a beautiful, kind and generous person with a great sense of humour. He loved his son more than anything in the world. Stuart was only 35-years-old with his whole life ahead of him. He did not deserve to die like this. We miss him so much as do many friends and family. He will never be forgotten.

"Our lives will never be the same, and what hurts most is that Stuart's son, our grandson, has been put through this horrific ordeal. We will do our best to carry on and we know that our grandson will be the major influence in helping us do that.

"Although Michael Bishop's conviction will never bring Stuart back, we are so greatly relieved that he is now behind bars and cannot do this to any other family again."