The man on trial accused of murdering an Amesbury man just over a year ago has admitted manslaughter.

22 year old Daryl Stephen Talbot has changed his plea on the second day of the hearing at Salisbury Crown Court.

The Larkhill soldier unlawfully killed 34 year old Paul Garland, who was found with severe head injuries in the car park of the New Inn in Amesbury on New Year's Day 2011.

Daryl Talbot admitted manslaughter of Paul Garland

On the opening day of the trial (23rd Jan) the Prosecution alleged that Daryl Talbot, who serves with 32 Regiment Royal artillery, killed Mr Garland in a 'fit of anger'.

The jury heard that Mr Talbot punched and kicked the local IT engineer a number of times in the car park of the New Inn on the town's high street after seeing him talking to his girlfriend.

Mr Garland, known affectionately as 'Garly', couldn't defend himself because he'd been drinking and because of a birth defect which meant he had short arms. He collapsed and died from serious head injuries. A number of people tried to revive Mr Garland before paramedics arrived, giving mouth-to-mouth, but he never regained consciousness.

The jury heard that soon after the incident Mr Talbot and his girlfriend, Alexandra Smith, caught a taxi and travelled to the nearby Holiday Inn at Solstice Park where they checked-in to a room for the night.

Daryl Talbot also texted his Mum saying he was 'scared' and that the taxi driver had said 'a lad had died' and he thought it might be the boy he had a fight with.

CCTV of Paul Garland's last movements were shown to the court. Daryl Talbot and his girlfriend are seen running, one after the other, from the New Inn car park on Amesbury High Street.

Some of the evidence centred on the volatile nature of the relationship between Mr Talbot and his girlfriend and an argument they had the night Paul Garland died. Alexandra Smith is also now mother to Daryl Talbot's child.

Chief Inspector Sean Memory from Wiltshire Police has led the investigation since it began on Jan 1st 2011. He described it as a very tragic case, and has been working very closely with the family of Paul Garland. DCI Sean Memory spoke to Spire FM's Mike Draper outside Salisbury Crown Court, and said he appreciates the manslaughter conviction may not be what they wanted.

Listen to the full interview here:

Daryl Talbot will be sentenced on March 9th 2012 at Winchester Crown Court.