Tommy Main 'killed playing macho punching game' at teenager's birthday party in Erith

Tommy Main, 23, said "that's a good one" and collapsed to the floor after he was hit in the upper chest by 21-year-old Desmond Bartley as they traded jabs, jurors heard.

The blow caused the father-of-two's heart to stop functioning properly, resulting in his death, Inner London Crown Court heard.

The pair had earlier been giggling and jumping on a bouncy castle at a neighbour's 16th birthday party in The Nursery, Erith, on June 28 last year.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rees said: "The evidence indicates that this punch was struck in the course of a macho game, referred by one witness as 'blow for blow', which involved both men agreeing to punch each other."

Both men had been drinking and taking cocaine at the bash, which was attended by around 30 adults, teenagers and children, jurors heard.

Desmond Bartley

Mr Main was drunk, while blood tests revealed Bartley would not have been intoxicated through alcohol although there were traces of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis in his system.

Mr Rees added: "There is no suggestion that there had been any animosity between the two earlier that evening.

"Indeed the evidence suggests they were getting on well."

Jurors heard the two men, who lived on the same estate and had known each other for about 10 years, began taking it in turns to hit each other just after midnight.

The prosecutor suggested Mr Main and Bartley started the "play fight" after the 16-year-old was given the "birthday beats" by two of his friends.

One party-goer saw the men laughing as they both punched each other with "forceful" blows to the upper chest.

Mr Rees said: "After the defendant had struck the final punch, she heard the deceased tense up and say 'That's a good one'.

"Seconds later he fell flat on the floor."

Keen sportsman Mr Main began to turn blue and despite the best efforts of the other party-goers and emergency services, was declared dead at Darent Valley Hospital at 1.28am.

A post-mortem examination revealed an area of "deep bruising" over the left side of the upper chest, which was likely to have resulted from a blow.

The cause of death was given as cardiac arrest following blunt chest impact in the presence of cocaine and alcohol, the court heard.

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Mr Rees said: "The facts of this case are relatively unusual.

"No one suggests for one moment that the defendant intended or foresaw that Tommy Main would die or suffer serious injury.

"Indeed, as you are aware, the evidence indicates that Tommy Main agreed to exchange blows with the defendant in what now, on reflection, appears to be a rather ill-advised exercise.

"Of course, as you might expect, the law does not criminalise all forms of consensual rough horseplay because all sorts of people in playgrounds, pubs and university campuses would be before the court.

"However, what would otherwise be no more than legal rough and undisciplined play becomes an unlawful assault when a person intends to cause some bodily injury which is, say the prosecution, the situation here."

Mr Rees said Bartley is charged with manslaughter because his punch was a significant cause of Mr Main's death and because he intended to cause some physical injury to his friend.

Tommy Main

The prosecutor added: "All sober and reasonable people would inevitably realise that punching the deceased in the way that the defendant did would subject the deceased to, at least, the risk of some physical harm."

When arrested and interviewed by police Bartley claimed he had been "play fighting" with Mr Main and admitted they had exchanged jabs, jurors heard.

In a prepared statement he said: "I hardly touched him and I said I didn't want to play anymore.

"He just stood there, took a breath, laughed and fainted on to the floor, forward."

The defendant appeared in the glass-enclosed dock, wearing a grey shirt with his hair tied back and sporting a goatee beard.

Members of Mr Main's family watched proceedings from the well of the court while Bartley's relatives looked on from the public gallery.

Bartley, of Elm Grove, Erith, denies manslaughter.

The trial, which is expected to last for up to two weeks, continues.