Ex-boxer killed man with single punch for daring to wave at him

An ex-boxer has been jailed for killing a man with a single punch after his victim waved at him in the street.

Father-of-one Creole McNamee, 28, flew into a rage and hit acquaintance Abdi Ali, 35, with ‘overwhelming force’ after he raised his arm to greet him in south Manchester.

The construction boss said he would do ‘anything to take back’ the attack after Mr Ali died in hospital eight days later.

CCTV footage of the incident shows Mr Ali walking along the street while talking on his mobile phone on the morning of May 3.

Prosecutor Peter Cadwallader said the defendant could be seen driving his white van past the victim before turning back towards him when he reached a roundabout.

McNamee stopped his vehicle and got out after Mr Ali raised his hand in a ‘clear greeting’, Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Mr Cadwallader continued: ‘The victim started to walk across the road towards the defendant. Nothing indicated any aggression or in any way to suggest that he was going to attack anyone.

‘Eventually the victim got close to where the defendant was standing outside his white van. The victim had his hand out in a way that suggested he was going to shake the defendant’s hand.

‘Immediately and with no warning or preamble the defendant punched the victim in the head. It was a single, hard blow which caused injuries to the victim, who fell immediately and hit his head on the ground, which caused bleeding which eventually resulted in death.’

McNamee claimed the victim had made ‘disparaging remarks’ about his ethnic background in the past, although the prosecution said they had been given ‘no indication as to what the dispute was about’.

The defendant pulled Mr Ali back to his feet after hitting him but he was partially conscious and staggering.

McNamee and a friend then took him to hospital in Chorlton-on-Medlock, telling medical staff he had ‘fallen over on a building site’, Mr Cadwallader said.

Suspicious hospital staff contacted police who traced McNamee‘s white van and the registration number. He was arrested and gave ‘no comment’ replies.

Defence lawyer Sailesh Metha said: ‘The defendant had not seen the victim until the last moment and suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. He only lashed out and didn’t mean to cause the harm he did.

‘As soon as the punch landed and the victim fell on the road, the defendant apologised and tried to help the victim. After the second fall it became clear the victim would have to be taken somewhere. His mother has been a head teacher and a lecturer at Leeds University.’

McNamee, from Stretford, Greater Manchester, was jailed for five years and four months on Tuesday after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Sentencing Judge Maurice Greene told McNamee: ‘It seems as though you and your victim were known to each other and that he had previously made disparaging remarks about your ethnic background. It was not the best of relationships and you felt you had a grievance.’

He added that it was ‘clear’ the former boxer realised after the attack he ‘had perhaps caused more injury than intended’.

Judge Greene said: ‘This was a tragedy for his family. I accept you are remorseful and regret what happened. It is quite clear the consequences of your actions were not intended. But it was a blow involving significant force, this was a substantial punch.’

DCI Liz Hopkinson, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, said it was an ‘unprovoked assault which had a serious consequence – the death of a man’.

Mr Ali’s family has paid tribute to him, saying the ‘tragic loss’ would be ‘forever felt by his family and friends’.

A statement said: ‘He was a young man with his whole life ahead of him and he lost his life under very tragic circumstances.

‘We as a family will cherish all the good times we had with him and find a way to move forward while still keeping his memory.’

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