Army veteran, 82, died after being felled by a single punch from teen
17-YEAR-OLD SAYS HE WAS DEFENDING HIMSELF
AN 82-YEAR-OLD Army veteran died after being surrounded by three teenagers and felled by a single punch at Derby bus station, a jury has been told.
But the 17-year-old who threw it, and whose identity is protected by law, says he was acting in self defence when he struck Dennis Clarke.
His trial at Derby Crown Court yesterday was told how police were called to reports of an assault at the bus station, in the Morledge, at around 4.30pm on Thursday, May 6, last year. Mr Clarke suffered injuries and was taken to hospital where he died nine days later.
The teenager denies a single count of manslaughter.
David Outterside, prosecuting, told the jury of eight women and four men how Mr Clarke challenged the defendant and two of his friends, both then aged 13, as they were “hanging around” and messing about by the escalators in the Eagle Centre.
He said: “The prosecution says that last year, in Derby Bus Station, the building just next to this crown court building and in broad daylight, this defendant punched an elderly man called Dennis Clarke to the head.
“(The defendant) was just 16 years of age when he threw that punch; it was a fatal punch which put Dennis Clarke to the floor and resulted in a skull fracture.
“(The defendant) will tell you he was acting in self defence.
“The crown say this was not self defence, not in a million years.
“This was a punch thrown in anger because Dennis Clarke had the temerity to tell him and his friends off. It was an assault by (the defendant) who would not let it go.
“He was 82 and was surrounded by three fit teenagers.”
Mr Outterside said after confronting the three teenagers in the Eagle Market the trio followed Mr Clarke, filming him on their mobile phones.
He played CCTV of the incident to the jury which showed the punch thrown by the 17-year-old.
The prosecutor said: “Dennis Clarke never got up from that punch and died nine days later in hospital.
“One witness will tell you that after he threw the punch (the defendant) said ‘d***head’ as he walked away.
“There is no issue that the punch caused the death of Dennis Clarke and there is absolutely no issue (the defendant) threw it. The issue is the word ‘unlawfully.’”
Witness Kelly Edges told the trial how she was working as a security guard at the Eagle Market on the day of the incident.
She said: “I was doing a few patrols from about 4pm and at around 4.30pm I saw a few lads on the escalators. The escalator was moving up and one of the lads was trying to move down it.
“As I approached there was a gentleman talking to the three lads, he was just telling them to stop messing around on the escalator.
“One of the lads was sizing up the gentleman, I got in between him and the elderly man.
“I asked the three lads to move on and everyone did.”
Dressed in a black shirt the teenager, who lives in the city centre and went to a secondary school in Derby, was supported by his father and sister in the public gallery while members of Mr Clarke’s family were also in court.
No further action is being taken against two other teenage boys who were arrested at the time in connection with the same incident.
The trial continues.