Fred Sluggett was left brain damaged by the attack and needed round the clock care
A man jailed for assault has been found guilty of murder after his victim died five years after the attack.
Joseph Moran, of HMP Oakwood, was convicted of assaulting Fred Sluggett in November 2011.
Mr Sluggett was stabbed in his head and chest outside a party in Leicester. He was left brain damaged and unable to walk, and died from his injuries in July last year.
Moran was sentenced to life in prison and must serve a minimum of 18 years.
Mr Sluggett, 61, was stabbed in May 2009 as he tried to return to the party, which he had earlier gatecrashed.
The knife severed an artery inside his head and caused a "substantial" bleed on his brain.
Joseph Moran was initially sentenced to eight years for the assault
Moran was arrested at HMP Oakwood shortly after Mr Sluggett's death and charged with murder.
He was found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday.
Det Sgt Simon Collington said Moran had "never shown any remorse for his actions".
Speaking after the hearing, Mr Sluggett's family said: "Those few seconds robbed Fred of his freedom and he was no longer able to do all the things he had loved.
"In the five years between the assault and his death Fred went from being carefree and happy to a shell of a man who was wheelchair bound and reliant on others.
"He had little or no movement in his entire body, except for partial movement in one of this hands, and he was left with brain damage.
"We are pleased that justice has been done and that Moran has finally been given the sentence he deserves."
- Published22 December 2014
