Murder-accused Birmingham men on trial over Wetherspoon pub death in Sussex

Two murder-accused Birmingham men have gone on trial after the death of a man outside a Wetherspoon pub 170-miles away in Sussex. David Hallatt, 57, had acted as a 'peacemaker' to break up a fight before he suffered a blunt force head injury as he fell from a 'dreadful' blow to the head, a court has heard.

Kieran Egan, 30, of Baldmoor Lake Road, Erdington, admitted manslaughter as he dealt the punch to the face following an incident outside the Dolphin and Anchor pub in Chichester, West Sussex, over the summer. But he denies murder and intending to cause him really serious harm following an incident on June 20.

Dyce Barnfield, 31, of Kingstanding Road, Great Barr, is jointly charged with Mr Hallatt's murder, which he denies, and is also accused of assisting and encouraging Egan.

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A trial at Hove Crown Court heard yesterday, Tuesday, December 10, that Mr Hallatt, a tiler from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, had “done nothing wrong” when he was at the pub. He had tried to stop fighting between a “troublemaker friend” and other men at the establishment.

Jurors watched CCTV played in court of the moments leading up to Mr Hallatt’s death, in which Egan is seen trying to stamp on Mr Hallatt’s friend, before turning to Mr Hallatt, standing next to him, and striking him in the face.

Opening the case, prosecutor John Price KC told the court: “Mr Hallatt died where he fell, he never recovered consciousness. Following the blow that struck him in the face, the back of his head struck the ground with great force, fracturing his skull and causing massive damage to his brain.”

He added: “David Hallatt was four days short of his 58th birthday when he died as a result of a gratuitous act of violence. It needs to be said at once, Mr Hallatt did nothing wrong that night. He was a peacemaker.

“The last words he was overheard to say were addressed to the man who killed him, and only seconds before it happened.”

A guest at the pub that night heard him say to Egan referring to his friend: “Stop fighting, he’s drunk, please, please, he doesn’t mean it.”

Egan and Barnfield deny murdering Mr Hallatt. The trial continues.