RELATIVES of the man shot in the heart with a crossbow hope his killer will show remorse after being jailed for seven years.

Daley Bibby, 16, of High Street, Welling, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court for the manslaughter of Wayne Phillips, aged 30, of St Edmunds Road, Dartford, outside a flat in Patterson Court.

A jury cleared him of murder last December and acquitted his brother Daniel, aged 18, of the same address, and Terrence Enever, aged 18, of Harland Avenue, Sidcup, of all charges.

In a statement, Mr Phillips's family said they were relieved the five-week trial was over and Bibby, who was 15 at the time of the offence, was jailed for the manslaughter of "our father, son and brother".

"However, no sentence can bring back Wayne," the statement continued, "and we hope Daley Bibby will come to regret his actions and show remorse for depriving an eight-year-old boy of his father".

Sentencing, Judge Warwick McKinnon said the jury's "merciful finding" that Bibby was provoked was due to events the previous evening, leading to Mr Phillips's death on March 26.

During the trial, the court heard Mr Phillips chased Bibby and Enever from the Patterson Court flat where he was staying with Bibby's former girlfriend, who Bibby wanted to contact.

Jurors heard Mr Phillips intervened in phone calls between the couple and he and his friend Mick Atkinson cut the battery leads to Bibby's van.

They moved it so they could see the boys return, resulting in them attacking Daniel Bibby's car when he collected the pair.

Stating Bibby must have been "very angry", the judge said: "You should never have armed yourself with that lethal weapon.

"There was absolutely no need to return to the scene for the van."

Defending David Nathan QC asked the judge to consider Daley's age, immaturity, lack of schooling and absence of strong male role-models.

Bibby was also sentenced for one year for affray, to run concurrently.