Clock Tower death was lawful killing, coroner rules

A NEWLYWED dad who died after a post-pub scuffle at the clock tower taxi rank was killed in self-defence, an inquest has concluded.

The inquest on Monday and Tuesday heard former soldier David Ryding died as a result of massive trauma to the rear of his head sustained when he hit the ground after being punched in the early hours of Sunday, July 7.

Assistant coroner John Ryan recorded a verdict of lawful killing at the Warwickshire Justice Centre in Leamington Spa.

The two-day inquest heard how Rugby man Ben Hartwell, 22, hit Mr Ryding because he was scared of being attacked himself following a confrontation between two groups of friends.

He said: “I didn't mean to hurt him. It was just a freak accident.”

The inquest was shown CCTV footage of Mr Ryding, who was an amateur boxer during his time in the army, joining in by squaring up to Mr Hartwell in a boxing stance before attempting to punch him.

“There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to attack,” a tearful Mr Hartwell told the inquest.

“I was just trying to get him away from me,” he continued, adding that the punch wasn't supposed to knock out Mr Ryding, who was 26 and from Moreton-in-Wirral in Mersyside.

“It was an instinctive act, I didn't expect him to drop to the floor.

“I'd never knocked anyone out before.”

Mr Ryding, who had been out drinking with two of his course-mates when one of them became aggressive towards Mr Hartwell, died in hospital the next day when his life support machine was switched off.

Immediately following the incident, a shaken and emotional Mr Hartwell got into a taxi and asked to be taken to the police station, telling the driver: “I think I've just killed him.”

When a police car arrived at the scene, he stopped the taxi and handed himself over to officers, who arrested him for assault.

He was subsequently charged with murder, but all charges was dropped in November when the Crown Prosecution Service decided he had acted in self defence.

Mr Ryding was in Rugby on a three-week residential course, having left the army after sustaining a stress fracture to his leg when he carried an injured colleague in Afghanistan.

His widow Nicola told the inquest her husband, whom she married after what she described as a whirlwind romance, was known to drink to excess and was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress disorder following tours to Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

She said: "It was out of character for David to be in a fight. I'd never seen him in trouble or aggressive."

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