Manslaughter conviction after goalkeeper’s death from a single punch during a Christmas day trip

“It was an utterly shocking feeling; you never expect something like that to happen to a friend,” said Barton Town defender Jack Bulless.

Bulless, who had also played alongside James at Bridlington Town, had been due to join the group for the York excursion but withdrew because of illness.

Andy Norfolk, a long‑time friend and teammate, did accompany James and the others.

“I recall watching the Manchester derby on television in the pubs we visited,” Norfolk said.

It was an annual Christmas get‑together, a light‑hearted day trip. We returned to the station early, ready to head home.

Since the next train was not until later, I took a taxi back to Hull. I remember Hitchy saying he would grab some food.

That moment marked the last time Norfolk would see his friend.

Leeds Crown Court heard that James sustained a skull fracture and brain damage after being punched on the right side of the back of his head and falling to the floor.

Reflecting on the day, his mother April said: “I had just put Freddie to bed when I received a call saying James had been struck, was unconscious, and was being taken to hospital.”

I thought at first he might have concussion and packed a bag, expecting him to be in hospital only for a day or two.

On arrival at the hospital they explained that he needed to be transferred to the intensive care unit at Hull Royal Infirmary. He was placed on life support until he lost his battle.

Mckenzie Dicicco, aged 22 at the time, was sentenced in July 2025 to six years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Judge Guy Kearl described the assault as a “cowardly, deliberate and vicious attack on a man who had no chance to defend or brace himself”.

Speaking after the verdict, April said she felt “lost and alone as the love of my life was so selfishly taken from me”.

James’s father, Chris, who used to take his son to Elland Road to watch David O’Leary’s Leeds United in the late 1990s, said his life has been forever altered by “one senseless act”.

“I don’t live any more – I exist,” he said.

I try to be happy, to carry on with things and present a brave face. But it will never be the same again for me.

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