A man who killed a devoted family man with one punch has been jailed for manslaughter for seven years today (Friday 4 April).
Kieran Egan, 31, of Baldmoor Lake Road, Birmingham, was found not guilty of the murder of David Hallatt, a married father of two, in a trial at Hove Crown Court.
Egan had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter, having been filmed fighting outside the Dolphin and Anchor, a Wetherspoon pub, in West Street, Chichester, on Thursday 20 June.
England had just drawn 1-1 with Denmark in their group match at the finals of the Euro 2024 tournament.
Today, Egan was jailed by Judge Christine Henson at Hove and told that he would have to serve at least two thirds of his sentence in custody before he could be considered for parole.
He would then have to serve the rest of his sentence on licence after being released from prison.
A second man, Dyce Barnfield, 32, of Kingstanding Road, Birmingham, was also found not guilty of the murder and cleared of manslaughter too.
Another man, Daniel Inns, 43, of Billingham Road, Stockton-on-Tees, in Co Durham, was also sentenced at Hove today, having pleaded guilty in February at Portsmouth Crown Court to affray. Judge Henson imposed a 10-month prison term, suspended for two years.
During Egan’s trial before Judge Henson, the jury was shown security camera footage of the moments before Mr Hallatt, a tiler from Sheffield, was killed.
Egan appears to be trying to stamp on a friend of Mr Hallatt before turning to him, while standing next to him, and hitting him in the face.
John Price, prosecuting, told the jury: “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.
“David Hallatt was four days short of his 58th birthday when he died as a result of a gratuitous act of violence … Mr Hallatt did nothing wrong that night. He was a peacemaker.”
After he died, his family paid tribute to the Sheffield United supporter, who was in Sussex for work, saying that he was “forever in our broken hearts”.
They said: “David was so violently taken from us. He was married for 25 years with two young daughters, aged 20 and 22.
“He lived for his family and he loved his work as a tiler travelling the country. He played the electric guitar and was an avid football and rock music fan.”
The court was told that Mr Hallatt had been enjoying an evening with work colleagues at the Wetherspoons when he was attacked by a man he didn’t know.
Inns, who Mr Hallatt knew, had been thrown out for behaving violently towards door staff and tensions flared.
Egan and Barnfield were also in the pub and became part of an altercation involving several people outside the pub at around 11pm.
Egan turned and punched Mr Hallatt – an innocent bystander – with extreme force as he tried to calm others.
Sussex Police said that, despite the best efforts of police and paramedics who tried to resuscitate Mr Hallatt, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Egan was arrested at the scene and later charged with murder. Barnfield, who was also involved in the fight, was arrested 11 days later after turning himself in to police.
Sussex Police said: “Barnfield was later also charged with murder on Friday 26 September, given his actions had been seen to encourage those of Egan.”
Mr Hallatt’s family said today: “We are disappointed with the sentence, 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 have been there throughout, the police dog handler who was quickly on scene and managed to secure the suspects before they fled and all the staff and witnesses that came forward to assist with inquiries.
“Our thanks also go to the police officers and paramedics who fought to try to save David’s life. We thank you all.”
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.”
