British teenager who killed army veteran with one punch gets two years in youth detention institution

A teenager who killed an 82-year-old army veteran with a single punch has been sentenced to two years in a young offenders’ institution.

Omar Moumeche, who was 16 at the time, attacked Dennis Clarke, a former soldier of the Sherwood Foresters regiment, at Derby bus station after he told Moumeche’s friends off for messing about on an escalator.

The pensioner, a keen fisherman and dancer, suffered a fractured skull, as well as a bleed on the brain, and died in hospital nine days after the assault on May 6, 2021.

Moumeche, now 18, was found guilty of manslaughter in July and was sentenced to two years in a youth detention facility at Derby Crown Court on Friday.

After the case, police released shocking footage of the attack showing Clarke being surrounded by a group of teens he had earlier challenged at the Eagle Market shopping centre.

Clarke, who served in Singapore, was then followed to a Derby bus station, where he was viciously punched to the ground.

Moumeche, of Derby, fled the bus station but was arrested within minutes.

Dennis Clarke challenged the teens at the Eagle Market shopping centre before the assault.

‘Deliberate blow’

Sending the defendant to youth custody for two years, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: “This is a case of such sentencing difficulty that I foresee that nobody will be satisfied with what I do.”

“You [Moumeche] could have walked away, but you decided to get involved, and shortly before you delivered the blow, an 82-year-old man was surrounded by three youngsters, and you struck him with a deliberate blow.

“Dennis Clarke was a much-loved man who lived a good life, serving his country in the army, having a passion for fishing and helping other people less fortunate than himself. His family are still struggling to come to terms with his death.”

Detective Inspector Mark Shaw said: “Our investigation was assisted by the capture of CCTV footage and many witness accounts, all of which were presented during the trial.”

“The defendant claimed he acted in self-defence, and the jury on the balance and high threshold required refused to accept his version of events.

“The tragic events of that day have had a devastating effect on both the families of Clarke and of the defendant himself.

“I hope that this case will demonstrate how important it is to stop and take a moment before resolving any matters and avoid resorting to the level of violence and the consequences seen here.”

No further action was taken against two other teenage boys who were arrested at the time in connection with the attack.

‘Doted on his family’

A victim impact statement made by Ricky Davey, the nephew of Clarke, told how his uncle was a former soldier in the Sherwood Foresters regiment, a keen fisherman, loved dancing and “doted on his family”.

Davey said: “It’s going to take many years to come to terms with the devastating death. Uncle Dennis was a father and grandfather of the whole family. He was a committed Christian, attending the same church each Sunday, Bible studies and choir practices. His death has left a hole in the lives of the whole family and we have just been left with a feeling of emptiness. There will forever be an empty chair at Christmas and an empty place on the dancefloor.”