Paul RodgersA SENIOR police officer said he had no answers for the grieving family of Paul Rodgers as to why his killer could be out in less than 18 months.

Det Insp Bob Hamlin said harsher sentences have been handed out to burglars, drug-dealers and violent thugs.

The comments from the officer in charge of CID units in north and west Wiltshire

come after Mr Rodgers' heartbroken family demanded to know why the justice system let them down.

DI Hamlin said there were plans in the pipeline to appeal the sentence and police lawyers were scrutinising the case.

A maximum sentence of 25 years imprisonment is available to judges in manslaughter cases.

DI Hamlin said: "When asked by the family why someone in our area can get a longer sentence for drugs, for burglary or for GBH, I simply cannot answer them.

"We have had people for all three offences sentenced for longer than Leigh Page.

"The team who worked closely on this case are disappointed with the sentence.

"An appeal against the sentence is in the pipeline and we are discussing it with our lawyers.

"Our sympathies go to the family of Paul Rodgers. They have lost a loved one and nothing can bring him back. We really feel for their plight.

"There didn't seem to be any other provocation, other than verbal, for someone's life to be taken."

"What price do you put on a human life? This is a question for others to answer."

Case officer DC Chris Conway said officers were disappointed at what he termed a 'paltry' sentence.

DC Conway started work on the murder inquiry on May 5 and undertook both interviews with Page at Melksham police station in the space of 24 hours.

Within a week the number of officers dealing with the inquiry dropped to three, with DC Conway responsible for piecing the evidence together.

He said: "Right from the start of the investigation it was quite clear Leigh Page was responsible for causing the death of Paul Rodgers.

"What made it very straightforward for the police was the fact it had happened in a built-up housing estate. The noise generated by the commotion prior to the death caused residents to twitch their curtains. We were soon able to create a fuller, clearer picture of what happened."

Scenes of crimes officers pulled a bread knife from a storm drain in Magnolia Rise while forensic officers examined Page's bloodstained clothing for clues.

DC Conway said it was alcohol that played a pivotal part in the killing.

He said: "It appears that Leigh Page, when sober, is a mild-mannered reasonable man.

"On this night he has not behaved rationally and that is down to the effects of drink."