A killer who knifed his best friend after taking a cocktail of drink and drugs was today jailed for five years.

Sentencing 23-year-old Richard Sykes for manslaughter, Judge Gerald Coles QC said it was a tragedy that had happened in a flash.

Father-of-one James Cade, 20, died in hospital last May, four hours after being stabbed in the stomach by Sykes. The pair had been friends since childhood.

In mitigation, defence barrister James Stewart QC, told the Court that on the day of Mr Cade's death, Sykes had taken large amounts of the tranquilliser Diazepam on top of strong lager.

The pair had gone to Sykes' girlfriend's house in Holme Wood and had been laughing and joking.

Sykes had been standing with his back to Cade when he grabbed a knife from the sink and stabbed him once in the abdomen.

Mr Stewart said: "Something must have happened between the two men. But he picked up the knife instinctively and without premeditation. It was over in the blink of an eye." He said Sykes had shown great remorse over what had happened and had never pleaded self defence.

At his trial at Bradford Crown Court in February, the jury was instructed to find Sykes not guilty of murder, because there was not enough evidence to convict him. He had admitted manslaughter at the start of the trial.

Passing sentence, Judge Coles said: "How this tragedy came about we will never know. But I accept that you had your back to Mr Cade."

Commenting on the sentence, James Cade's father, Mick, said: "We've lost a great son. Our other son and daughter have lost a great brother, and his little girl has lost a great father. Yet this man is going to walk free from prison in a few years.

"James was just 20 when he died. Sykes won't even be 30 when he gets his freedom."

Mrs Liz Cade added: "Sykes has been described as a lovely lad. But the bottom line is he killed my son. He has wrecked this family and destroyed all our lives.

"Sykes' mum rang me before Christmas and said she wasn't sure what kind of presents she could take into prison.The only gifts I can take my son are pot plants and bunches of flowers for his grave."

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