A 'REMORSELESS' 17-year-old has been found guilty of killing ‘peacemaker’ Adam Rogers who had tried to quell a town-centre flare-up.

The Rishton youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had claimed he acted in self-defence. but the jury at Preston Crown Court rejected his version of events.

The youth was remanded in custody after the manslaughter verdict today following a four-day trial.

He was also warned he was facing a substantial custodial sentence, with the judge citing the youth’s involvement in previous violent incidents.

On July 5 last year, the youth, then just 16, punched Adam once in Northgate, Blackburn town centre.

At the time Adam had his arm around the youth’s shoulder. Witnesses said he was acting as a peacemaker after a flare-up.

But the teenager chose to claim that Adam had threatened him, angering the Rogers family and Adam’s friends.

Adam was felled by a single punch, his head striking the pavement. He died from brain injuries in hospital the next day.

The teenager had boasted about the attack on social networking site Facebook.

A friend of the defendant asked him about ‘one-timing’ someone – a reference to knocking someone down in a single punch.

The youth’s reply was the single word: “Timber”.

When questioned in court about this by his barrister Mark Stuart, the defendant said: “I can see now it was horrible to say.

"I just thought nothing bad had happened. As I can see now it is disgraceful.”

The defendant said the exchange of Facebook messages between himself and Jonathan Seal was “just passing comment” on what had happened, saying: “I was not bragging about it.”

After the case, Detective Superintendent Neil Hunter said the ‘quick decision of the jury’ reflected the ‘actions of the defendant’.

Mr Hunter said: “He showed no remorse for the cowardly actions of someone who had consumed far too much alcohol.

“I would like it to serve as a warning to other people who want to behave in this manner.

“This type of thing happens in every town, every city in the UK. People don’t think about the consequen-ces of their actions. It’s about time they started to.”

Mr Hunter said he was ‘so impressed with Adam’s family and friends’.

He said: “It's a long time since I’ve seen so may people turn up to court. Even though it was full, they still came to support the family.

“That is a testament to how well thought of Adam was.

“I have dealt with many manslaughter and murder cases over the years but this one has had quite a profound effect on me especially when I saw what appeared to be a fit, healthy, athletic young man on the hospital ward without any obvious injury or trauma being kept alive artificially.

"My heart went out to Adam’s family who had to make the difficult and dreadful decision to switch the life support machine off. It speaks volumes that they were prepared to allow Adam’s organs to be harvested that would allow numerous other people to benefit from their tragic loss.”

And Mr Hunter slammed Adam Rogers’ killer, saying: “It’s an outrage that people would attempt to besmirch the character of a young man who was a credit to his family and friends.

“There was no evidence in any shape or form that Adam was anything other than a peacemaker. I can understand how upset his parents were to experience and hear some of the rubbish coming out of people in an attempt to sully Adam’s character."

Judge Stuart Baker remanded the teenager into custody for the first time, ahead of sentencing on March 8.

He also warned the youth he was facing a substantial custodial sentence, with the judge citing his involvement in previous violent incidents.

Judge Baker warned that a ‘substantial’ custodial sentence was ‘inevitable’ and, in denying bail, said the defendant had shown ‘no remorse’.

Referring to the youth being given a fixed penalty notice in January 2009 for being drunk and disorderly in Darwen Street, Judge Baker said: “This is the second time in the space of a year the defendant has been involved in alcohol-fuelled disorder in a town centre and which, whatever the circumstances, involved violence.

"I would be releasing into the community an as yet unassessed risk. I don’t think it is appropriate for the court to take that risk.”

Two 19-year-old men from Rishton, Jonathon Seal from Cliff Street and Antonio Clough from Bridge Street, had previously pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm relating to separate assaults arising out of the same incident.

They will also be sentenced on March 8.