Woolwich manslaughter: Bus driver jailed for killing father

A bus driver who donned a balaclava before fatally assaulting a family man during a row over supermarket queue-jumping has been jailed for more than five years.

Demiesh Williams, 30, of south London, appeared at Woolwich Crown Court where he was sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment after admitting the manslaughter of 43-year-old Andrew Clark. The defendant had initially been charged with murder but the prosecution accepted a plea to the lesser charge.

The court heard that the fatal incident occurred at a Sainsbury’s store in Beckenham, south London. An altercation began inside the premises when Williams attempted to push ahead in the queue, prompting Mr Clark to intervene and ask him to wait his turn. The defendant responded by threatening to "take him outside" before exiting the shop.

Williams retrieved a balaclava from his parked car and lay in wait for the victim. CCTV footage played to the court captured the moment the defendant ambushed Mr Clark as he left the store, restraining him with one hand while delivering strikes with the other. during the assault, Mr Clark fell and struck his head on the pavement, sustaining catastrophic injuries.

Emergency services attended Upper Elmers End Road and the victim was transported to hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries three days later. Williams was subsequently arrested at his home address.

Read more: Cannabis Killer Jailed for Life Over "Merciless" Street Murder

Passing sentence, Judge Andrew Lees acknowledged the "devastating loss" suffered by the victim's family, noting that Mr Clark was a "hard-working family man" whose death should never have happened. The judge ordered that Williams must serve two-thirds of his sentence in custody before being eligible for release on licence.

The sentence has been referred to the Attorney General's office for review under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme following a formal request.