Daughter's disgust at sentences handed down to dad's killers

The devastated daughter of a Doncaster man killed outside a club in the city has criticised the sentences handed down to two men jailed over the killing, describing them as “disgusting.”

Jason Gaskin, 53, died when he was attacked outside Park Social WMC in Balby in 2023.

Yesterday (Monday), Jake Wells and James Neeson, who attacked him in the minutes before his death, were jailed at Sheffield Crown Court.

Wells was sentenced to four years and nine months imprisonment, and Neeson was sentenced to nine months imprisonment.

Jason’s daughter Maria said after the sentence: “It is absolutely disgusting - there are people out in this world going to shops and shoplifting to help them feed themselves and they get longer time

“How can you call this justice. How is four years and nine months justice?

“They will come out of prison and their lives will go back to normal.

“Our lives will never be the same.

“We wake up and go to sleep without a dad and we have to spend special times like Christmas or birthdays without him.

“Nothing will ever the same.”

Paying tribute to her dad of five, she added: “I love you forever and always.”

Jason was killed in a vicious attack outside the Balby club on Sunday 29 October 2023.

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He was found unconscious in the early hours of the morning and despite the best efforts of emergency services he sadly died at the scene.

Officers immediately launched an investigation into Jason’s death, and extensive CCTV enquiries uncovered footage of two men, Jake Wells and James Neeson, attacking Jason in the minutes before his death.

Following the assault, Neeson disconnected the CCTV and hid the hard drives containing the incriminating footage in the loft space of the venue. Officers later recovered the hard drives, unearthing the truth about Jason’s death.

Wells, 28 was charged with manslaughter and Neeson, 50 was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and perverting the course of justice.

The pair, both from the Balby area of Doncaster, pleaded guilty to the charges at Sheffield Crown Court in July and were sentenced at the same court yesterday.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Adam Watkinson, from our Major Crime Unit, said:“This was a devastating attack which led to the death of a much-loved father, grandfather, and husband.

“Neeson’s attempt to cover up his and Wells’ involvement in Jason’s death showed a total lack of remorse and accountability.

“Fortunately, officers were quick to recover the vital evidence and both men now face justice for their crimes.”

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Gaskin's widow, Charmaine, from whom he had been separated at the time of his death, said his loss had "quite literally ripped our family apart".

"Jason was well known in the community," she said. "Everyone has a story to tell about him. He was larger than life."