Snodland man jailed for manslaughter

A one punch killer who left a man to die in Snodland has been jailed for more than four years.

On the afternoon of 1 July 2025, Ryan Greaves was seen attending an address in Edwards Close where he punched the victim, who then fell to the floor and hit his head.

Greaves, 32, then fled the scene, with the whole incident lasting two minutes.

Police arrived as paramedics were treating the victim, Daniel Beard, for severe head trauma before he was airlifted to a London hospital.

An investigation was launched and Greaves, of Thomson Close, was arrested the following day, still wearing the same shorts he had on during the incident. He was charged with grievous bodily harm and released on bail.

Daniel died from his injuries on 6 October 2025.

Charged

Greaves was re-arrested and charged with murder. On 12 November, the prosecution accepted Greaves' guilty plea to manslaughter and on Thursday 14 May 2026, at Maidstone Crown Court, he was sentenced to four years and 10 months' imprisonment.

Detective Sergeant Alastair Worton said:
'Greaves' sentencing reflects the severity of this attack and highlights how a single action can have such devastating impacts.
'He has never provided a clear explanation for why he attacked Daniel that day, but nothing deserved that level of violence which resulted in a man losing his life. He cowardly fled the scene and left Daniel who was clearly in a serious state, which shows he was only thinking about himself in that situation.
'Our thoughts are with the family of Daniel and we hope that this sentence gives them some sense of justice.'

Mr Beard's family said:
'Our family has endured unimaginable suffering; we lost our kind and loving Daniel, who played a central part in our family life, and had to witness his slow decline and tragic death in intensive care.
'We want to thank all the medical staff who fought to save Daniel's life, the kind soul who helped Daniel at the scene, Kent Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for their dedication in securing this conviction and for their kindness, and everyone who supported us throughout this difficult time, especially our and Daniel’s friends, who put their arms around us in our hour of need.'