Levi Hampsey: Sheffield man accused of killing 'uncle' found not guilty

A 21-year-old man accused of killing his 'uncle' during an incident on a Sheffield street has walked free from court after being found not guilty of manslaughter.

Michael Rose, 59, died following an incident on Bowshaw Close in the Batemoor area of Sheffield on the evening of July 23, 2022. A post-mortem examination revealed he died as a result of head injuries.

Levi Hampsey, of Lowedges Crescent, Lowedges, stood trial at Sheffield Crown Court, accused of manslaughter, but always denied the offence and was today found not guilty.

He claimed during his trial that he punched Mr Rose after fearing he would be stabbed by him and may lose his life

This afternoon, a jury of nine women and three men returned a unanimous not guilty verdict and Mr Hampsey was acquitted.

Jurors had heard that Mr Rose was an extended family member who Mr Hampsey referred to as his 'uncle'.

Summing up the evidence heard in the case before sending the jury out to consider the verdict, Judge Sarah Wright said Mr Hampsey told police during his first interview how the relationship his girlfriend and Mr Rose had 'turned sour' after she went for a night out with Mr Rose's former partner and the mother of his three children.

On the night of the death, Mr Hampsey said he had felt "scared" for his life, claiming there had been threats to kill him made.

Their paths had crossed on Bowshaw Close.

"I thought he was going to stab me, I had a split second to decide what to do, so I threw a punch, it connected and he fell to the floor," Mr Hampsey said.

He said he subsequently noticed Mr Rose was bleeding from the head and was unconscious, and he slapped him 'three times' to try and wake him up before 'panicking' and driving away to his mother's house.

Residents who heard the commotion attempted to resuscitate Mr Rose, while making a call to the emergency services. Paramedics arrived on the scene a short time later, but despite the best efforts of everyone involved, Mr Rose was pronounced dead at 11.29pm on July 23, 2022.