A MAN who stabbed a Barnsley landlord to death whilst he was on holiday in Ingoldmells has been jailed for a decade.

In the early hours of the morning on April 6, police were made aware of an altercation near Fantasy Grill and Balti on Sea Lane at the seaside town.

Gareth Hart, 43, of Thurnscoe, was found injured and died shortly afterwards.

Joseph Malek, 33, was subsequently arrested and charged with Gareth’s murder.

However, following a two-week trial at Lincoln Crown Court, Malek was cleared of murder last month.

He was instead found guilty of manslaughter and was remanded into custody before his sentencing.

At the trial, Malek denied murder and possessing an offensive weapon.

During the trial, the jury heard from witnesses that an argument broke out between the victim and a woman outside of the takeaway, possibly over a dog or a child. At this point, Malek intervened.

The argument between the victim and Malek became physical, and during this altercation Mr Hart suffered four stab wounds, one of them was a fatal wound to his chest.

A pen knife was used to inflict all four wounds.

The weapon was located later in a puddle nearby.

After the incident Malek fled the scene back to Butlins where he was staying and then returned to Derbyshire where he lives.

Malek handed himself in at Ripley Police Station later on the same day.

During his police interviews, Malek said that he had pulled a knife out in hope that Hart would back off from the fight.

He claimed he did not recall stabbing him and any action that he took was in self-defence.

The jury though found Malek guilty of manslaughter.

DCI Jennifer Lovatt, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Hart’s family.

“The death of Mr Hart has had a devastating impact on his family, I hope that today’s result will bring them some justice.

“This was a random attack following an argument that got out of hand.

“The result of this case is a good indication of why nobody should carry a knife.

“When knives are carried and used, the degree of harm cannot be foreseen and in this case the Mr Hart lost his life.

“Tackling knife crime is one of the Lincolnshire Police’s top priorities because we know the devastating impact a knife can have, and we would call on anyone who thinks about carrying a weapon to take a minute and really consider what will happen to them and anyone they come into contact with if there is a blade between them.”

Malek was sentenced to a decade behind bars.