Family man 'kicked to death by son of a millionaire'

Kes Ingoldsby, 18, was one of a group of youths who surrounded former Round Table chairman Stephen Langford after a row broke out as he walked home from a night out.

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The 43-year old sales director was punched to the ground, knocking him unconscious, before Ingoldsby struck him like he was "kicking a rugby ball", a jury was told.

As the teenager and his friends fled, one of the group shouted at the dying Mr Langford: "you deserve this".

The attack was the first killing in the affluent Oxfordshire town of Henley-on-Thames for over sixty years.

Mr Langford, who worked for a telecoms company, had lived in the town for several years and was a friend of the local Tory MP Boris Johnson.

On Tuesday, Ingoldsby, whose father Denis launched the career Louise Nurding and Dina Carroll, stood in the dock accused of murder with his alleged accomplice, 19-year-old James Diggins.

Mr Langford had stopped with friends to buy a takeaway pizza on the early hours of December 9 last year after a night out in Henley town centre, Inner London Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Julian Baughan QC described how he was initially "laughing and joking" with staff at the shop, where he was a regular.

But the atmosphere soured when Ingoldsby, who was sitting in the shop with his girlfriend and a group of friends, began staring at him intently.

"He seemed to have singled out Mr Langford and was already beginning to make trouble," Mr Baughan said.

"A few minutes later the group of youngsters left the pizza shop with Ingoldsby the last to leave.

"As he went through the door he shouted across to Mr Langford 'you fat c**t' in a very aggressive manner."

Mr Langford followed him out, where witness Donna Butcher saw the group of youths surrounding him.

There were raised voices and she then saw one of the men, later identified as Diggins, punch Mr Langford hard in the face, causing him to fall backwards and crack his head open on the ground.

Diggins gave him a short kick in the upper leg as he lay unconscious.

Gary Joynes, a friend of Mr Langford's who was with him, described how Ingoldsby then kicked him much harder in the head.

He said: "It was a really bad one, like a football, really hitting it.

"It was a really nasty, spiteful, big kick. He really cocked his leg as if you are really going to kick a rugby ball when you're going to kick though.

"He used his right foot. It hit Steve's head not right at the top but seemed to go through the lower part of the back of his head."

Mrs Butcher described how she saw Mr Langford's head 'rocking from side to side' as he was kicked.

Mr Baughan added that other witnesses who were some distance away had already heard a crack away as Mr Langford's head hit the ground after the initial punch.

"The prosecution say that this must have been heard by Mr Ingoldsby before he started kicking Mr Langford in the head."

Mrs Butcher heard one of the group shout "you deserve this" as they fled the scene down an alley way next to a police station.

She rushed to Mr Langford who had blood coming from his nose and mouth.

"His eyes were open but he did not speak and was motionless," Mr Baughan said.

"She cradled Mr Langford's head and when she pulled her hand away it had blood on it.

"She could not find a pulse and he was not breathing."

Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead after arriving at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

A post mortem later found that his skull had been fractured and his brain severely damaged.

Ingoldsby and Diggins were not seen until two days after the alleged attack when they walked into a police station with their solicitors.

Ingoldsby's father is the pop music manager and producer who discovered acts including Louise and her band Eternal as well as collaborating on Girls Aloud records.

Other bands and singers he helped launch and manage include MN8, former EastEnders actress Michelle Gayle, the Honeyz and Kele le Roc.

Mr Langford's mother Joan, 61, wept as she sat in court beside husband William, 67 and other family members.

Diggins, from Reading, and Ingoldsby, from Henley-on-Thames, both deny murder.