Attacker's pal guilty of role in killing.

A man has been convicted of manslaughter - even though he did not lay a finger on the victim.

Peter Jason Roberts was yesterday found guilty of killing Jonathan Anthony Bennett, 40, from Rhyl, who died of a severe brain injury after he was punched outside a pub.

A jury at Mold Crown Court decided that even though he never threw a punch, his supportive role to the man who delivered the two fatal blows, Thomas Bryan, made him equally as culpable.

Roberts, 36, a stone mason of Abergele Road in Llanddulas, was remanded in custody.

He will be sentenced in two weeks with his friend, former doorman Bryan, 45, of Berllan Avenue in Rhuddlan who had admitted manslaughter at an earlier occasion.

The prosecution said that following an incident inside The Grapevine Bar at Rhyl in February, Bryan was ejected from the rear door and Mr Bennett, 40 was ejected via a front door.

The prosecution said that Roberts had walked purposefully to the front of the club with Bryan, he had pointed out Mr Bennett to Bryan, and cleared an area of people so that Bryan could punch him, then patted him on the back as they left in a congratulatory way, and then punched his fist into his own hand.

Roberts had denied any involvement in the attack and said he had no idea his friend was going to punch the victim.