Three men found guilty of manslaughter

Pictured:Johnathan Bristow, John McDonnell and Daniel Carroll

Three men have been found guilty of manslaughter after they assaulted a man, leaving him with injuries which led to his death four days later.

Following a four-week trial, Johnathan Bristow, aged 46 and of Trafalgar Street, Norwich, Daniel Carroll, aged 29 and of HMP Norwich and John McDonnell, aged 44 and of Oval Road, Norwich all appeared at Norwich Crown Court today (13 April 2026) and were found guilty of manslaughter.

A fourth man, Andrew Gough, aged 47 had also been charged with manslaughter however he died before the case could reach trial.

The conviction follows an incident on 19 September 2023 when 39-year-old Matthew Griggs was assaulted on a number of occasions by a group of men on Ketts Hill, Norwich.

Matthew and his partner had spent the evening (18 September 2023) at a residential address on Ketts Hill after being invited by her friend, John McDonnell. Bristow, Gough and Carroll were all present at the address throughout the evening.

On the morning of the 19 September, Matthew’s partner left him at the address whilst she went to the shop. On her return she found him on the floor, having been assaulted, with blood coming from his head. Officers attended the scene and found Matthew in the road. Matthew refused to wait for an ambulance, did not wish to make a statement and left the scene.

Following the assault, Matthew and his partner travelled to Sprowston, where they stayed in a tent for a few nights. Officers were called to Church Lane, Sprowston at 7.45am on Saturday 23 September 2023 after his partner raised the alarm to passers by that she could not wake him. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Home Office postmortem found the primary cause of death to be a collapsed lung and haemothorax. Matthew was also found to have suffered from fractured ribs and blunt force trauma to the chest.

As a result, warrants were executed at the home addresses for all four men that had spent time with the victim on the 18 and 19 September 2023. They were all arrested on suspicion of murder between 3 and 18 October 2023. The four men were later charged with manslaughter in March 2025.  

Following today’s conviction, Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Alix Wright said: “Throughout this process, officers have worked diligently to piece together the circumstances of this case.

“This has been a long and complex investigation, and today’s conviction marks a significant moment for everyone involved—most importantly, for the victim’s family. We hope this outcome brings them some measure of comfort as they continue to cope with their loss.”

McDonnell, Bristow and Carroll are due to be sentenced on a later date.