Two men found not guilty of murder over Chichester pub attack

One has admitted to the manslaughter of David Hallatt in Chichester in June last year

Author: Ryan BurrowsPublished 9th Jan 2025

The family of a man who was killed during a fight in a pub in Chichester have expressed disappointment after two men were cleared of his murder.

One of those on trial over the death of David Hallatt has admitted to his manslaughter, following a ten-day trial.

David, a 57-year-old tiler from South Yorkshire, was attacked while on a night out with friends at the Dolphin and Anchor in West Street on June 20th last year.

Hove Crown Court heard tensions flared after a man David knew was ejected from the pub for abusing door staff, leading to a fight breaking out at around 11pm.

David, who was an innocent bystander and had been attempting to calm others, was punched with 'extreme force' by 30-year-old Kieran Egan from Birmingham.

He was pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts of police and paramedics, who performed CPR on him.

Kieran Egan will be sentenced in April after admitting to the manslaughter of David Hallatt in Chichester

Egan, of Baldmoor Lake Road, was arrested at the scene and later charged with murder.

One of the men he was with, 31-year-old Dyce Barnfield of Kingstanding Road in Birmingham, handed himself in to police on July 1st and was charged with affray.

The court heard he was involved in the altercation, alongside Egan. Barnfield was later also charged with murder on September 26th, given his actions had been seen to encourage those of Egan.

Following the trial, which began on December 9th, the jury returned their verdicts of not guilty for both men on Tuesday (January 7th)

Egan was remanded in custody to appear for sentencing in April.

In a statement released via Sussex Police, David’s family said:

"We are disappointed with the verdicts, particularly in respect of Egan given the level of violence he displayed throughout the incident.

“However, we would like to personally thank the investigation team, the Senior Investigating Officer and the two Family Liaison Officers who are been there throughout.

"The police dog handler who was quickly on scene and managed to secure the suspects before they fled and to all the staff and witnesses that came forward to assist with enquiries.

“Our thanks also goes to the police officers and paramedics who fought to try and save David’s life. We thank you all.”

Case Officer Detective Constable Elliott Lander, of the Sussex Police Major Crime Unit said:

"Our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of David, who has lost his life in such tragic circumstances.

"A life has been cut short following what should have been an enjoyable evening at the pub. The behaviour displayed by Egan was totally unacceptable and ultimately cost a life.

"David was brazenly attacked and had no chance to defend himself. Egan will rightly now have to live with the devastating consequences of his actions.

"This was an extremely complex investigation with a lot of moving parts but ultimately the family will hopefully have some closure. We investigated immediately, with some good fortune an officer was close to the scene at the time of the offence, and so arrested Egan within a minute of the punch.

"I would like to thank everyone involved in the investigation."

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