A MAN who ‘brazenly attacked’ an innocent bystander, who died after being hit with a single punch, has been found not guilty of murder.
Kieran Egan, 30, and Dyce Barnfield, 31, were both found not guilty of the murder of David Hallatt when the jury returned their verdicts on Tuesday.
Mr Hallatt, 57, had been attempting to calm others during a disturbance outside a Chichester pub last June when he was struck by Egan.
He fell, suffering a blunt forced head injury, and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
While found not guilty of murder, Egan, of Baldmoor Lake Road in Birmingham, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was remanded in custody to appear for sentencing in April.
Barnfield, of Kingstanding Road in Birmingham, was found not guilty of manslaughter.
“Our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of David, who has lost his life in such tragic circumstances,” said Detective Constable Elliott Lander of Sussex Police.
Victim was attempting to calm others
The court heard how Mr Hallatt had been enjoying an evening with work colleagues at the Dolphin and Anchor in West Street, Chichester, on June 20, 2024.
Egan and Barnfield were also in the pub at the time.
Tensions flared when a man known to Mr Hallatt became violent towards door staff and was ejected from the pub.
An altercation then started between several people outside the venue at around 11pm.
At the conclusion of the incident, Egan turned and — with extreme force — punched Mr Hallatt, who was an innocent bystander and had been attempting to calm others.
Mr Hallatt had been trying to calm others (Image: via Sussex Police)Despite the best efforts of police and paramedics who commenced CPR, Mr Hallatt was sadly pronounced deceased at the scene.
Egan was arrested at the scene and later charged with murder.
Barnfield was arrested on suspicion of affray after he handed himself in to police on July 1, 2024.
He was later also charged with murder on September 26, given his actions had been seen to encourage those of Egan.
‘Devastating consequences’
In a statement, Mr Hallatt’s family expressed their dissatisfaction with the outcome.
“We are disappointed with the verdicts, particularly in respect of Egan given the level of violence he displayed throughout the incident,” it read.
“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.
“[Also] 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.”
DC Lander said Egan’s single punch had ‘ultimately cost a life’.
“A life has been cut short following what should have been an enjoyable evening at the pub,” he said.
“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.”