We report a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the
layered antimonide PrMnSbO which is isostructural to the parent phase of the
iron pnictide superconductors. We find linear resistivity near room temperature
and Fermi liquid-like T^{2} behaviour below 150 K. Neutron powder diffraction
shows that unfrustrated C-type Mn magnetic order develops below \sim 230 K,
followed by a spin-flop coupled to induced Pr order. At T \sim 35 K, we find a
tetragonal to orthorhombic (T-O) transition. First principles calculations show
that the large magnetic moments observed in this metallic compound are of local
origin. Our results are thus inconsistent with either the itinerant or
frustrated models proposed for symmetry breaking in the iron pnictides. We show
that PrMnSbO is instead a rare example of a metal where structural distortions
are driven by f-electron degrees of freedom
