A 25-YEAR-OLD man has been convicted of killing his best friend.

Jurors at Oxford Crown Court yesterday convicted Anthony Bebbington of manslaughter.

The six-day trial heard Paul Howkins died from head injuries two days after being pushed down a flight of stairs outside Bebbington’s flat at Ruscote Arcade in Longelandes Way, Banbury, on March 8.

The 25-year-old victim had been at a party hosted by Bebbington and his girlfriend at the first-floor flat.

Mr Howkins, who was born with a hearing impairment and was described by his parents as “vulnerable”, was found in a pool of blood by partygoer Zara Jeacock shortly after 11pm.

Bebbington had been heard shouting at Mr Howkins near the external staircase moments before.

Peter Coombe, prosecuting, had told jurors: “The defendant deliberately pushed Mr Howkins and he was responsible for the fall.”

In a statement read in court, Mr Howkins’s mother, Brenda, said her son was “well natured and never complained about anything”.

Bebbington, who denied the charge, was remanded in custody to be sentenced at Reading Crown Court on December 15.