THE POWER OF A SINGLE PUNCH

Mr Dearlove's girlfriend Claire Wheatley broke down in tears as she described her heartbreak at losing her "Mr Right" and a "true gentleman" A man who killed a banker with a single punch in a "senseless" and "unprovoked" attack has been jailed for six years. Trevor Timon, 31, hit 30-year-old Oliver Dearlove while the victim and his friends were talking to a group of women in Blackheath, south-east London, in August 2016. Timon admitted manslaughter but was cleared of murder at the Old Bailey. He was also given five years on extended licence as he was considered a "significant risk" to the public. Mr Dearlove died hours after the attack, which happened after he had struck up a friendly chat with the women, who had been out celebrating a birthday with Timon. How lives are devastated by a single blow Timon 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", the court heard. 'Untold misery' He then punched Mr Dearlove in the side of the head with his left fist, sending him to the ground and knocking him out. A post-mortem examination found he died from bleeding to the brain. Judge Mark Dennis QC told Timon, who had a history of violence, Mr Dearlove had presented no threat and the punch was an "unprovoked and gratuitous act". "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.  Timon admitted manslaughter but was cleared of murder earlier this week at the Old Bailey "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." 'A true gentleman' Speaking before the sentence was handed down, Mr Dearlove's girlfriend Claire Wheatley broke down in tears as she described her heartbreak at losing her "Mr Right". The nurse described him as the "most gentle, kind and relaxed person I have ever known and a true gentleman which is why so many people liked him." She said the couple had been making plans for the future before the "dreaded knock on our door". ***prbxselfnetwork***