Two men have been cleared by a jury of murdering a man who died during a brawl outside a pub last summer.
The man who punched David Hallatt, which led to his death, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Kieran Egan, 30, s now in prison awaiting sentence in April.
Mr Hallatt’s family said they were disappointed with this week’s verdicts, but thanked emergency services for trying to save his life, and for the investigation.
The brawl happened outside the Dolphin and Anchor pub, part of the Wetherspoon chain, in West Street, Chichester on 20 June last year.
Mr Hallatt 57, had been enjoying an evening with work colleagues there when he was assaulted by a man not known to him.
Egan and Barnfield were also in the pub. Following the ejection of a man known to David from the pub, who had become violent towards door staff, tensions flared.
An altercation started between several people outside the pub around 11pm. Mr Hallatt had been attempting to calm people down, but at the conclusion of the incident, Egan turned and punched him with extreme force.
Despite the best efforts of police and paramedics who commenced CPR, Mr Hallatt was sadly pronounced deceased at the scene.
Egan, of Baldmoor Lake Road, Birmingham, was arrested at the scene and later charged with murder. Dyce Barnfield, 31, of Kingstanding Road, Birmingham, handed himself in to police on 1 July 2024 and was initially arrested for affray.
Barnfield was later also charged with murder on 26 September, given his actions had been seen to encourage those of Egan.
The trial at Hove Crown Court heard he was involved in the altercation, alongside Egan. But the jury also cleared him of murder, as well as manslaughter, on Tuesday.
In a statement, Mr Hallatt’s family said: “We are disappointed with the verdicts, particularly in respect of Egan given the level of violence he displayed throughout the incident.
“However, we would like to personally thank the investigation team, the Senior Investigating Officer and the two Family Liaison Officers who are been there throughout. The police dog handler who was quickly on scene and managed to secure the suspects before they fled and to all the staff and witnesses that came forward to assist with enquiries.
“Our thanks also goes to the police officers and paramedics who fought to try and save David’s life. We thank you all.”
Case Officer Detective Constable Elliott Lander, of the Major Crime Unit said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of David, who has lost his life in such tragic circumstances.
“A life has been cut short following what should have been an enjoyable evening at the pub. The behaviour displayed by Egan was totally unacceptable and ultimately cost a life.
“David was brazenly attacked and had no chance to defend himself. Egan will rightly now have to live with the devastating consequences of his actions.
“This was an extremely complex investigation with a lot of moving parts but ultimately the family will hopefully have some closure. We investigated immediately, with some good fortune an officer was close to the scene at the time of the offence, and so arrested Egan within a minute of the punch.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in the investigation.”
