A CAGE FIGHTER has been found guilty of killing a Southampton dad who was left to die in an alleyway.

It took the jury at Winchester Crown Court eight hours to find Damon Wright guilty of the manslaughter of Saints groundsman Kevin Wyeth in Woolston last year.

He was cleared of the charge of murder after by a majority decision by the jury after they failed to reach a unanimous decision.

The 32-year-old stood in the dock with his head down flanked by two security guards as the jury of four women and eight men revealed their verdict, which was met with cried of “oh no” from Kevin's grieving family who have sat through all of the two-and-a-half-week trial.

After the verdict this morning, the distraught mum of Kevin Wyeth, Linda Timberlake, told the Daily Echo: “I am completely shocked and in total disbelief.”

The prosecution had claimed that Wright had crept up behind a “defenceless” Kevin who was urinating in an alleyway between Defender Road and Tankerville Road, before reigning down a series of brutal blows that quickly rendered his unwitting victim unconscious.

Daily Echo:

A jury ruled cage fighter Damon Wright was guilty of killing Kevin Wyeth, pictured

But Wright, who denied murder, claimed he only fought with Kevin to protect himself, after bumping into him in the alleyway when Kevin threw the first punch.

Wright, who was dating Kevin's ex-partner at the time, told the court during the trial that he initially didn't think that Kevin was seriously injured and called for help once he realised Kevin had not woken from his unconscious state.

Daily Echo:

Pictures of this boxing glove, belonging to Damon Wright, were shown to jurors

Daily Echo:

Images of Damon Wright's jumper were also shown in court

Despite not wanting to call an ambulance at first because he didn't want to get the police involved, Wright said he knew he had to call an ambulance once the taxi he had called to the scene failed to spot Kevin.

Medics discovered dad-of-three Kevin more than two hours Kevin was left in the alleyway but despite their efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead soon after.

Judge Guy Boney adjourned sentencing until April 25.