Man jailed for seven years after fatal punch outside a pub in Chichester

Following a trial at Hove Crown Court earlier this year, Kieran Egan, 31, of Baldmoor Lake Road in Birmingham was found not guilty of the murder of David Hallatt, however he had pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The court yesterday (Friday, April 5) heard that David, 57, had been enjoying an evening with work colleagues at The Dolphin and Anchor, in West Street in Chichester on 20 June, 2024, when he was assaulted by a man not known to him.

Following the ejection of Daniel Inns, who was known to David from the pub for behaving violently towards door staff, tensions flared. An altercation started between several people outside the pub around 11pm including Rgam who had been inside the pub.

At the conclusion of the incident, Egan turned and punched David with extreme force, who was an innocent bystander and had been attempting to calm others. Despite the best efforts of police and paramedics who commenced CPR, David was sadly pronounced deceased at the scene.

Daniel Inns, 43, of Billingham Road, Stockton-on-Tees, also appeared for sentencing with Egan after he admitted a charge of affray in relation to the incident at Portsmouth Crown Court on 3 February. Inns was sentenced to a 10-month custodial sentence suspended for two years.

Dyce Barnfield, 32, of Kingstanding Road, Birmingham, was found not guilty of the murder and manslaughter of David following an earlier trial. He was originally arrested on suspicion of affray, when he handed himself in to police on 1 July 2024.

In a statement, David’s family said: "We are disappointed with the sentence, particularly in respect of Egan given the level of violence he displayed throughout the incident. He has shown no signs of remorse for his violent action on the fateful night of 20 June 2024.

"David's wife and two young girls now have to live without their father for the rest of their lives."

"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."