This is the shocking moment a pedestrian was killed by a single punch after he got into a row about cycling on the pavement.

Andrew Young, 40, became involved in an argument with cyclist Victor Ibitoye after he told him that cycling on the pavement was dangerous.

The cyclist rode off but moments later his friend, Lewis Gill, approached Mr Young, who suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome, and punched him in the face without provocation.

CCTV footage shows Mr Young falling backwards and striking his head on the road surface.

Gill, 20, can then be seen to walk away after looking back to see his victim lying motionless on the ground.

The attack took place in a busy shopping area of Bournemouth, Dorset, and several passersby rushed to Mr Young’s aid.

He was rushed to hospital where he died the following day from head injuries with his mother at his bedside.

Gill pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter and was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

After the hearing, Mr Young’s mother Pamela described the sentence as a ‘joke’.

The incident took place at 4.25pm on November 6 last year outside a Tesco Express in Charminster, Bournemouth.

Mr Young was said to be able to speak several languages but had the social skills of a 14-year-old due to his condition.

The court heard Mr Young told Mr Ibitoye during the argument that riding his bike on the pavement was a ‘dangerous activity’.

Mrs Young said: ‘He was very particular because of his Asperger’s and he wouldn’t have liked seeing someone riding a bicycle on the pavement because it was dangerous.’

After the brief argument Mr Ibitoye cycled away from Mr Young and apparently had no idea what Gill was about to do.

Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, said: ‘The defendant claims he was worried about Andrew Young because he thought he was being menacing.

‘He said Andrew Young put his hand to his pocket and he thought he was going to pull out a knife or a gun.’

Read More

A THUG who killed a man with a single punch was jailed for four years and six months yesterday.

Asperger’s sufferer Andrew Young, 40, died after 20-year-old Lewis Gill lashed out in November last year.

The defendant, of no fixed abode, from Sutton in Surrey, struck Mr Young after the victim exchanged words with an acquaintance.

Victor Ibitoye had been riding a bike on the pavement at Charminster Road when he was confronted by Mr Young, who said it was a “dangerous” activity.

Mr Ibitoye was next to Gill’s ex-girlfriend, Wendy Cagua-Rodriguez, while the defendant walked behind.

Gill threw a single punch, connecting with Mr Young’s temple, after he heard the victim say to Mr Ibitoye: “Why don’t you go back to the jungle?”

Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, showed CCTV footage of the incident to Salisbury Crown Court.

In the video, Gill, who admitted manslaughter last month, can be seen striking Mr Young before the victim falls flat on his back on the ground.

She said: “The defendant claims he was worried about Andrew Young be-cause he thought he was being menacing.

“He said Andrew Young put his hand to his pocket and he thought he was going to pull out a knife or a gun.”

However, Judge Keith Cutler said Mr Young did not represent a threat, and sentenced Gill to four years in prison for manslaughter.

He was also sentenced to two three-month prison terms to run consecutively for committing the offence while on a suspended sentence for robbery, and for handling stolen goods.

Judge Cutler said: “You are a powerfully-built youngman.

“You must have known that it was going to cause a significant injury and, very sadly, it did.”

Steven Perian, defending, said Gill was upset after a “lover’s quarrel” with his former girlfriend.
“He wishes he could turn back the clock and not react in the way he did,” he said.

Mr Young died the following day, November 7, following surgery at Southampton General Hospital.

He struck his head on the pavement after the punch, and a postmortem found no injuries to suggest that he had tried to defend himself.

The former Bournemouth School pupil, who spoke a number of languages, was a member of St Edmund Campion Church in Bournemouth.

Mum Pamela, who sat beside her son when he died, said: “Andrew had the social skills age of a 14-year-old.

“He was very precise and particular because of his Asperger’s and he wouldn’t have liked seeing someone riding a bicycle on the pavement because it was dangerous.

“I sat with him when he died. I wish that awful man [Gill] who took my son away had pleaded not guilty so he would have got longer [after a trial].”

Detective Inspector Marcus Hester, of Dorset Police’s Major Crime Team, said: “This was a violent attack on an innocent man which had a tragic outcome.

“Criminal behaviour such as this will not be tolerated and we are committed to bringing offenders to justice.”