A 16-year-old teenager has been sentenced for killing an Army veteran with a single punch after the veteran confronted his friends for messing around on an escalator. Omar Moumeche was found guilty of manslaughter for striking Dennis Clarke at Derby bus station on May 6, 2021. The punch caused Clarke, who was 82 years old at the time, to fall to the ground, resulting in a fractured skull and a brain bleed. Clarke, a former soldier who served in Singapore, was taken to the hospital but died nine days later.
According to Clarke’s family, he had gone shopping alone to get a pair of blue suede shoes fitted. CCTV footage shows Clarke confronting a group of three boys, one of whom was walking down the up escalator at The Eagle Market. A security guard intervened and escorted Clarke, who was holding his shopping, out of the entrance. However, the group of boys followed him, shouting abuse and filming the altercation on their phones.
The confrontation escalated at Derby bus station ticket office, where Clarke was surrounded by the group. He was pushed and appeared to move towards Moumeche, who then struck him once in the face. A passerby tried to restrain Moumeche, but he managed to break free and flee the scene.
On Friday, Judge Shaun Smith KC sentenced Moumeche to two years in youth detention. DI Mark Shaw, who led the investigation into Clarke’s death, expressed gratitude for the CCTV footage and witness accounts that assisted in the trial. Moumeche claimed self-defense, but the jury rejected his version of events.
DI Shaw emphasized the devastating impact of the incident on both Clarke’s family and Moumeche himself. He urged people to pause and consider non-violent resolutions to conflicts. No further action is being taken against the two other teenage boys who were arrested in connection with the incident.
