Footballer cleared of killing rival player

Stephen Ritchie died after being punched to the ground by Darren Forwood, who has since been jailed after he admitted the killing.

Forwood's team-mate Brandon Thompson, who slapped 43-year-old Mr Ritchie after the fatal punch, was also charged over his death last November.

But Thompson, 21, was cleared by Old Bailey jurors after he wept as he relived the aftermath of the incident in Hayes, Middlesex.

Timothy Cray, prosecuting, alleged that he started the fight that led to the incident and shared responsibility for killing the father of two.

It followed an ill-tempered match between Mr Ritchie's team Old Greenfordians, who came back from 3-0 down to win 4-3 against close rivals Thompson and Forwood's Kingshill Town.

But the defendant, of Widmore Road, Uxbridge, told the court that though he had been "really upset" by comments Mr Ritchie made about his mother and wanted to slap him, Forwood's attack on him was separate and "came from nowhere".

Thompson said that after Forwood's punch he went up to Mr Ritchie, who put his hand on his shoulder.

"Somehow he got on the floor. I must have fell on top of him when he had his arm on my shoulder.

"I was on top of him. I slapped him twice on his left cheek. He didn't react. After I slapped him twice I noticed his eyes were rolled back. He looked like he was basically not there.

"After I realised his eyes were rolled back I got up. I knew he was seriously hurt. I got up and I walked and I looked back and then I carried on walking.

"I got a bit embarrassed because I shouldn't have done it."

He wept as he described how he later learned what had happened to Mr Ritchie.

"My girlfriend rang me. I was at my mum's. I was shocked - she said that he had died. I broke down. I had a few minutes to myself and then I told my mum.

"She started crying as well and she said 'you go and have a shower and after that we'll go to the police'."

Thompson said he was still in his muddy football kit at the time and the police arrived at his home before he had got ready to go to the station.

Asked how he felt about the incident now, he said: "It shouldn't have happened, it really shouldn't have happened."

Forwood, 21, of West Drayton, west London, has already been jailed for 28 months after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

He hit Mr Ritchie from behind so hard that his head twisted round and ruptured his arteries as he stumbled and fell to the ground.