Man jailed for six years for killing banker with one punch
Trevor Timon was ‘pissed off’ when he struck Oliver Dearlove in south-east London for talking to group of women
A man has been jailed for six years for killing a banker with one punch in an “unprovoked and gratuitous” attack.
Trevor Timon, 31, had a history of violence before he assaulted Oliver Dearlove, a “kind and gentle” 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 on Wednesday after a trial at the Old Bailey in London.
He was sentenced on Friday to six years in prison with a further five on extended licence because he was considered a “significant risk” to the public.
The judge, Mark Dennis QC, told Timon: “This was a senseless death that occurred as a result of an act borne out of a flaw in your character, which in the past has seen you display unnecessary violent conduct to others when, for reasons best known to you, you have become annoyed or wound yourself up.”
He said Dearlove had posed no threat to Timon. “Oliver Dearlove was a young man of fine character with a long and promising future ahead of him. His loss in such senseless circumstances has, as the court has heard, caused untold misery for his family and those close to him. Many lives have been turned upside down,” the judge said.
Dearlove’s girlfriend, Claire Wheatley, wept as she described losing her “Mr Right” and a “true gentleman”.
She said she had received a text from him saying “Love you bub” hours before police came to the door.
In a letter read to the court, Timon said: “There is not a single day that I don’t think of Oliver, his friends and family, and the devastating effects my action has caused.”
Dearlove and his friends were on their way home from a university reunion when they began talking to a group of women in the street who had been celebrating a birthday with Timon.
The court heard that Timon had 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.”
He then delivered a left-hand punch to Dearlove’s head, sending him 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.
Afterwards, Timon fled to Ireland, but returned days later and handed himself in to police, after telling one of the women: “I’m scared, seriously, proper.”
In 2010, Timon admitted punching a woman in the face, allegedly knocking her out. He 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 28 August 2016, Dearlove’s friend Andrew Cook said Timon was angry and came out of nowhere with “bad intentions”.
“He was looking for a fight. Not a nice guy. We didn’t know why, it all happened so quickly,” he said.
But when giving evidence, Timon denied intending to do serious harm, saying he was “pissed off” that someone called him a “half chap” – a racist slur.
Dearlove, of New Eltham in south-east London, worked as a relationship manager at Duncan Lawrie Private Bank, having previously held a position at Coutts.
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