Thug facing years in jail for killing banker with a single punch
A jobless thug is facing years in jail for killing former Queen's banker Oliver Dearlove with a single punch.
Trevor Timon, 31, had a history of violence before the unprovoked attack on the 30-year-old in Blackheath, south-east London last August.
The defendant, of Plumstead, south-east London, had admitted manslaughter and was cleared of murder following an Old Bailey trial.
Mr Dearlove and his friends were on their way home from a university reunion when they struck up a friendly chat with a group of women in the street who had been out celebrating a birthday with Timon.
Timon demanded to know what they were discussing and told his victim, "If you don't get out of my face I will knock you out", the court heard.
He then delivered a powerful left-hand punch to the head sending Mr Dearlove to the ground and knocking him out.
A passing motorist stopped and gave him first aid but the victim died in hospital within 24 hours of the attack.
Afterwards, Timon fled to Ireland but returned days later and handed himself into police, after confiding to one of the women that he was "I'm scared, seriously, proper".
In 2010, Timon had admitted punching a woman in the face, allegedly knocking her out after threatening to "bang" her out.
He also had previous convictions for shouting at a bus driver while brandishing a golf club and throwing a punch at a barman after being refused re-entry to a pub at closing time.
In the early hours of August 28 last year, Mr Dearlove's friend Andrew Cook said Timon was angry and came out of nowhere with "bad intentions".
He said: "He was looking for a fight. Not a nice guy. We didn't know why, it all happened so quickly."
But giving evidence, Timon denied intending to do serious harm, saying he was "pissed off" that someone called him a "half chap", in an apparent racist slur.
Mr Dearlove, of New Eltham, worked as a relationship manager at Duncan Lawrie Private Bank, having previously held a position at Coutts, the bank used by the Queen.
His long-term girlfriend Claire Wheatley and mother Joy Wright sat through the trial and left court visibly upset following Timon's murder acquittal on Wednesday.
Afterwards, Mrs Wright issued a statement from the family describing the "gaping hole" left by the loss of her son, who she described as a "confident, friendly, non-confrontational young man".
She praised the good Samaritans who stopped to help her son as he lay fatally injured on the pavement - but was critical of the female witnesses who "walked away".
The four women gave evidence for the prosecution after being granted anonymity by the court.
Mrs Wright highlighted one of them, saying that she had given evidence under oath "that she saw Oli being given CPR, but didn't think it was that serious".
