A FORMER soldier has been jailed for two years for the manslaughter of a colleague who was “one of his closest friends”.

Gunner Steven Mark Castaglioni, 21, died in The Packway, Larkhill, just after 11pm on June 29, 2009, after being hit by fellow Royal Artillery soldier John Edward Ronald Gilliver.

Winchester Crown Court heard the pair had spent the evening drinking at Gilliver’s house in Bingham Road, Larkhill. When Mr Castaglioni “got too drunk”, Gilliver attempted to escort him back to the barracks and they were seen by witnesses shouting and arguing in a nearby park.

They made their way to The Packway, where Gilliver hit Mr Castaglioni, who fell to the ground unconscious and died within minutes.

Medical experts said Mr Castaglioni died from a combination of concussive brain injury and excessive alcohol.

Gilliver, 33, of Copper Beech Road, Nuneaton, was initially charged with murder but the charges were dropped in 2010.

The prosecution reopened the case after gathering more evidence from expert witnesses, and Gilliver was charged with manslaughter last year.

He was found guilty following a trial heard at Winchester Crown Court in September this year. The court heard Gilliver, a fatherof- four, served in the army for about 14 years with distinction and he left with an “exemplary” character assessment.

Sentencing Gilliver on Tuesday, Judge Graham Cottle said the delay in the case getting to court was a “significant mitigating factor”.

He said: “The blow that you struck caused Mr Castaglioni to fall to the ground. He sustained concussive head injury in consequence of which, on the evidence, he simply stopped breathing.

“Mr Castaglioni was a friend. You were doing him a favour in trying to get him back to the camp. Your frustrations at his responses overcame you and in drink you hit him and he died as a consequence but in circumstances that were very unusual. However, the inescapable fact is that a man died.”

Mr Castaglioni’s mother Lisa Millard said in a statement: “It has been a long and hard process since losing our Steve, but at last we have justice for our son. We can now move forward with our lives, keeping Steve and our memories of him safe in our hearts.

“This would not have been possible without the hard work of Wiltshire Police; they have been a great support to our family.”