A MAN has been jailed for manslaughter following the death of a man who was found unconscious in the road.

Alin Zaharia, a 27-year-old from Grays, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five-and-a-half years at Basildon Crown Court today.

On November 30, 2020, at 1:40am, Essex Police received information that Mr Gray Clark had been taken by ambulance to Basildon Hospital after being found unconscious in Southend Road, Grays.

Mr Clark had a serious head injury and was in a life-threatening condition, which the hospital informed the police.

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Later that day, Mr Clark, 40, died.

At the time, the ambulance was called by Alin Zaharia at midnight and informed the operator he had found the man sleeping at the location.

When officers arrived, they found blood on the road, and contacted Zaharia to ascertain what had happened.

He explained that as he walked home with a friend, he had cause to meet Mr Clark walking in the opposite direction with his friends.

Following a short altercation, he admitted pushing Mr Clark, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head.

Mr Zaharia was then arrested at his home on suspicion of causing Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) with intent, and after Mr Clark’s death, Mr Zaharia was charged with manslaughter.

Grace Pratt, detective constable of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “My thoughts are condolences are with Gary’s family today.

“Gary went out that night to have a good time with his friends, but he never returned home because of the careless actions of Alin Zaharia who has been jailed today.

“What happened between the two men ended in a tragic waste of life and it could have been avoided.

“Now Gary’s family will have to endure the heartache of never seeing Gary again.”