Four years for estate agent who killed Elm Park man with single punch

A 30-year-old estate agent has been sentenced to four years in prison after killing a stranger with a single punch.

Sean Boggans, 30, of Ongar Road, Brentvvood was found guilty of manslaughter, a charge he denied, today by a jury at the Old Bailey.

The court heard that on February 3, Shaun McDermott, 44, of Benhurst Avenue, Elm Park, was on his way home from a night out.

He was waiting outside the Havering Oak pub in South Street Romford for his partner Wendy Whittle to come and pick him up by car.

Mr McDermott, who worked as an electrician, was knocked to the ground by Boggans which caused massive bleeding on his brain.

He was found lying on the pavement at about 1am by police on a routine patrol walking past the Havering Oak pub.

Earlier that evening, Mr McDermott had been drinking with two of his sisters Maureen and Kathy, at the nearby Wheatsheaf pub before heading home.

Meanwhile Boggans had called a cab at about 12.30am and was waiting outside the Havering Oak with some friends.

It was then that Mr McDermott went to the same place to meet his partner.

Det Chf Insp John Sandlin said “Boggans, possibly frustrated by the wait for his taxi and in the mistaken belief that Shaun was also trying to get a cab, remonstrated with Shaun and subsequently threw a punch which caused Shaun to fall to the floor and hit his head.”

Mr McDermott was taken to Queen’s Hospital, Romford where he died at about 10pm the following day.

A postmortum found he died as a result of head injuries.

CCTV from cameras outside the Havering Oak showed a man, said to be Boggans, throwing a right-handed punch which struck Mr McDermott in the face.

He fell to the ground and the man and a friend could be seen walking away down the street.

Mr Sandlin added: “It was a wholly unnecessary, violent act which caused Shaun to sustain a fatal head injury.”