Three Sentenced for Manslaughter of Matthew Griggs in Norwich

Three men have been sentenced today (3 July 2026) after being found guilty of the manslaughter of 39-year-old Matthew Griggs. 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 on 13 April 2026 and were found guilty of manslaughter.

Bristow and McDonnell were both sentenced to eight years in prison. Carroll was sentenced to seven years in prison.

He also received a further three years for an unrelated robbery he had previously pleaded guilty to. The conviction followed an incident on 19 September 2023 when Matthew was assaulted on a number of occasions by a group of men on Ketts Hill, Norwich.

He sadly died as a result of his injuries four days later. A Home Office postmortem found the primary cause of death to be a collapsed lung and haemothorax, as a result of Matthew having suffered fractured ribs from blunt force trauma to the chest.

Through his Victim Personal Statement, read aloud in court, Matthew’s father described the impact his death has had: “One of the things we used to do together was sit in the stands at Norwich, watching the football and whilst I still go occasionally, I often sit there looking for Matthew before realising this is something that will never happen again. “The sadness and sense of loss will be with me forever as I think about what life with my son could have and should have been like, but now will never be.” Following today’s sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Alix Wright said: “Throughout this investigation and trial, we have carefully built a clear picture of the events that led to Matthew’s death.

The court heard how he was subjected to a level of violence that ultimately proved fatal. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of those actions.

We hope this outcome provides some measure of justice for Matthew’s family as they continue to come to terms with their loss.” Share