Man 'put everything' into punch which killed banker Oliver Dearlove, court hears

A man accused of murder "put everything" into the single punch which killed banker Oliver Dearlove, a court has heard.

Trevor Timon was allegedly "looking for a fight" and became "very angry" before landing the blow which knocked Mr Dearlove over in the early hours of 28 August last year.

Mr Dearlove, 30, had spent the evening in Blackheath, southeast London, drinking beer, watching football and sharing a curry with old Portsmouth University friends, the court heard.

As they walked to catch cabs home, they had a "friendly chat" with a group of women known to the defendant who had just left Morden's nightclub.

After the brief exchange Timon, 31, approached Mr Dearlove and his two friends and demanded to know what they had been talking about, jurors were told.

One of the friends, Andrew Cook, told the court: "There was this guy. I don't know where he came from. He was just upon us all of a sudden. He came out of nowhere.

"He just started getting up in our faces. He started getting aggressive, shouting at us, something like, 'Who the f*** are you?'

"He was very angry and agitated. He pushed me. He got really close to us, pointing and shouting at us, being really abusive.

"He was looking for a fight. Not a nice guy. Trying to start a fight. We didn't know why, it all happened so quickly."

Mr Cook said he held his hands up as if to say "what's going on here?" just before his friend was punched in the face.

"I believe with his left hand he hit him as hard as he could," Mr Cook said. "He really put his whole body into it. It was very forceful, very quick, very powerful.

"He had bad intentions, basically. It was more of an aggressive hook. He put everything he could into it."

Mr Cook said Mr Dearlove then fell to the ground.

He denied a claim that one of his group had said "she's with the half chap", in reference to the mixed-race defendant.

"He just came out of nowhere. I did not know he was with the girls," Mr Cook said.

The court has heard Mr Dearlove, who lived with his girlfriend in New Eltham, died within 24 hours of the attack.

Timon, from Plumstead, southeast London, has admitted manslaughter but denies murder.

The trial continues.