Polish man killed by 15-year-old boy's 'superman punch', court hears

A 15-year-old boy killed a Polish man with a "superman" punch after laughing about his English, a court has heard. The man suffered skull fractures and brain injuries after being hit from behind by the youth.

The boy, now 16, however, denies the attack on 40-year-old Arkadiusz Jozwik.

Jozwik was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital and was later transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where he died of his injuries on 29 August 2016.

The jury at Chelmsford Crown Court heard how the defendant was part of a group of teenagers cycling round Harlow, Essex around 11.35pm on 27 August.

According to prosecutor Rosina Cottage, Jozwik had been drinking with his friend Radek Koscelski and they were both "speaking loudly and appeared to be drunk and smelt of alcohol". A third friend, Jakub Lusiecki, was also there.

The three sat on a bench to eat outside a takeaway in The Stow, Harlow near a group of teenagers with bikes. They had been there for most of the day and the boy was a part of the group, Cottage said.

"There was some laughter about their English and one of the teenagers was cycling around the group," Cottage said.

She said Koscelski "was swaying and drunk and may have been argumentative, offering to fight", but he made no physical contact.

Showing CCTV footage to jurors, Cottage said it appears that Koscelski tripped over his own feet. The youth then "appears to jump in the air and swings his arm with force to the head of Mr Jozwik". Jozwik appeared to have been doing nothing.

"For whatever reason, maybe even immature bravado, the prosecution say [the youth] took a deliberate decision to use unlawful violence when he went round the back of the group to punch Arkadiusz Jozwik," Cottage added.

The case trial continues.