A GRIEVING family has slammed the "disgusting" jail sentence handed a schoolgirl who killed a father-of-two for challenging her loutish behaviour.

The 16-year-old, who had been drinking WKD and vodka shots, attacked Paul Sandbach in Sale town centre after he had confronted her for lashing out at two other teenagers in her group.

She became enraged when he commented on her behaviour, possibly calling her a "drama queen", Manchester Crown Court heard.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was going to "knock him out" before launching her attack on School Road in Sale last June.

Witnesses described the teenager, who had been causing trouble in Ebony and outside Amp nightclubs in the town, aiming a blow at 53-year-old although the girl claimed it was an "aggressive shove".

Mr Sandbach suffered fatal injuries when he struck his head on the pavement.

His killer was given a two-and-half year jail sentence but it emerged she could be freed after eight months because of time already served.

The judge declined an application by the media to lift a ban on naming the girl, saying she had no history of street violence and publicity could jeopardise progress she has made since her arrest.

Disgusting

Outside court, Mr Sandbach's sister Margaret said: "The sentence was disgusting. It will basically encourage these young kids. They can do what they want, kill someone for their actions and do a few months."

The court was told the retired landlord, who had run pubs in the West End of London, had been enjoying a day out at Chester races and was so excited by his day out he had called his daughter, who was holidaying in Corfu, to tell her about it before continuing to enjoy his evening in The Bank pub in Sale.

It was when he emerged from the pub he saw a fracas and commented on the girl's loutish behaviour.

With Mr Sandbach unconscious on the ground, the girl, when passers-by told her she could not could not behave that way, replied: "Yeah I can. I'll do what-ever I f****** want."

Mr Sandbach came round, declined hospital treatment and was taken home to nearby Sale Moor by police.

When officers checked on him the following morning, he was dead.

A post mortem found he had suffered two skull fractures as well as a cut and bruising to the head, causing internal bleeding.

The girl was arrested and claimed it had been Mr Sandbach who was abusive and that he had simply fallen and hit his head.

During interviews, she admitted being "out of my head, absolutely gone, bladdered", having consumed five or six bottles of WKD and three or four vodka shots.

Aggressive

She admitted she became more aggressive the more she drank and admitted manslaughter on the grounds she had "aggressively shoved" Mr Sandbach, causing him to fall and suffer the fatal injuries.

The court heard the youngster had no previous convictions although she had been cautioned for a theft and arson.

Judge Andrew Gilbart QC refused a request from the media to lift reporting restrictions banning the naming of the girl, saying she had no history of street violence and that naming and shaming the girl would hinder further progress the youngster had made since her arrest.

Jailing the teenager for two-and-a-half years, Judge Gilbert told the girl: "This is a tragic case, a man in his 50s on a happy day out flushed with success from the race course and having had a little to drink comes across yourself, a 16-year-old finding her adolescence difficult and having drunk far to much. You became aggressive and unruly and determined to respond to his criticism of you with a show of bravado."

He added: "One valuable life was wasted and his family has to live without his warmth and presence. Your young life is blighted by what you did."

But the judge added: "You have shown, I accept, genuine remorse for what you did and shown sympathy for the victim's family although I accept they have found it difficult to accept given what occurred."