Jail for killer of star's brother

Warwood has expressed his remorse to Mr Trimmer's widow

A grandfather who admitted killing Hollywood star Deborah Kerr's brother in a "road rage" incident has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Eugene Warwood, 55, from Redditch, Worcs, shattered the jaw of retired journalist Edward Trimmer, 78, outside a post office in Birmingham in 2004.

The city's crown court heard it had been an entirely unprovoked attack.

Warwood, who is disabled, admitted Mr Trimmer's manslaughter in West Heath on 23 August at an earlier hearing.

Even without the tragic and unintended consequences, this offence would have been met with an immediate prison sentence Judge John Saunders

Warwood, of Salop Road, launched the attack after a wing mirror was knocked off his van, Birmingham Crown Court had heard.

Passing sentence on Thursday, Recorder of Birmingham Judge John Saunders said Warwood had lost his self-control and attacked a complete stranger.

"The fact that you left the scene so readily does indicate that even the shock of what you had done did not dissipate your anger," he said.

"This was an unprovoked attack on a 78-year-old man in a residential street.

"Even without the tragic and unintended consequences, this offence would have been met with an immediate prison sentence."

Ted Trimmer was the younger brother of Deborah Kerr

Warwood's plea to manslaughter had been accepted on the basis that he had been "reckless" in his actions rather than intending to cause really serious harm.

The judge added that if Warwood had not admitted it, his sentence would have been longer.

On Wednesday, the court had heard that grandfather-of-five Warwood "lashed out" at Mr Trimmer with his fist.

Prosecutor Timothy Raggatt QC said: "The punch was of sufficient force to fracture the jaw and it must have rendered Mr Trimmer unconscious, as he went to the ground in a way that quite obviously meant he was unable to break his fall."

The court heard that having felled Mr Trimmer, Warwood drove off in his van.

Mr Trimmer died of a brain haemorrhage in hospital later that evening. Warwood was arrested the same day.

He initially denied any involvement but later admitted to having punched Mr Trimmer.

Mr Trimmer, from Kings Norton, was the younger brother of Love on the Dole star Kerr, who was nominated for several Oscars for her roles in films such as From Here to Eternity and The King And I.