A 16-year-old boy has been sentenced to three years in detention for the killing of a Polish man.

The teenager from Harlow who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was convicted of the manslaughter of Arkadiusz Jozwik on July 31, following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

He denied the offence but was convicted by a jury and was sentenced today, Friday September 8.

Mr Jozwik, known as Arek, was assaulted in The Stow in Harlow on August 27 last year, suffering a fractured skull and brain injury.

He never regained consciousness and died in hospital two days later.

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Jozwik’s mother, Ewa Jozwik, said she can’t come to terms with the fact her “loving son “ will never return.

“All the time I can see in my mind the moment I saw him lying motionless in the hospital bed connected to the life support machine,” she said.

“I wanted him to wake up so badly. I think about him every day, I wish he could be with us.

“In moments like this I cannot hold back my tears. When I think about him, I always cry.

“He was healthy, a good person, and no-one had the right to take his life in such a way.

“The last year has been very difficult for our whole family.”

Mrs Jozwik moved from Poland to the UK after the death of her husband and was followed by Arek.

She said she knew her son was happy here and “felt at home in Harlow”.

The day before Arek was attacked, she spoke with him on the phone when he was with friends not knowing it would be the last time she would hear his voice.

Arek’s gravestone has been engraved with the words ‘You were a dream, now you are a memory’.

Mrs Jozwik added: “I do not wish upon any mother to have to bury her son and go through what I went through.

“I deeply regret I did not even have a chance to say goodbye.”

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Pasmore of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “While nothing will ever bring Mr Jozwik back, now the court proceedings are over, I hope his family can somehow start to rebuild their lives.

“Whatever the reason for the events of that night, the defendant deliberately used violence against Mr Jozwik.

“While he would not have intended for it to be a fatal blow, he made a decision to move deliberately behind the victim and take him by surprise with a forceful punch.

“He must have appreciated this would have caused harm.”

Harlow district commander Chief Inspector Matt Cornish said: “Mr Jozwik’s death last year left residents of our town deeply shocked and my thoughts remain with his family and friends.

“We have been working closely with residents, the Polish community and community leaders to listen to, and address, their concerns.”