Man who beat pensioner to death in row over gate jailed for just 12 years

A man has been jailed for 12 years for killing his elderly neighbour in a row over shutting a gate. Trevor Gocan, 57, punched and kicked James "Jim" O'Neill, 74, outside their housing estate in Covent Garden, central London, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury.

He died in the hospital two weeks later. Southwark Crown Court heard on Thursday how the two exchanged words after Gocan left a gate open on the estate. CCTV showed the confrontation lasted less than 90 seconds before Mr O'Neill was on the ground with serious injuries.

Judge Sally-Ann Hales KC said told Gocan: "Your unlawful actions on October 6, 2024 caused the death of Jim O'Neill, a much-loved father and grandfather. You did not need to defend yourself - the truth is, you lost your temper and control. You walked away. Mr O'Neill did not. He was much older than you. In his shorts and Crocs, he presented no serious threat. Had you genuinely felt threatened, you could have walked away."

She said the attack, which included a punch and two kicks, carried a "high risk" of causing grievous bodily harm or death.

"You did absolutely nothing," she said. "Your remorse, if genuine, has taken a long time coming."

The court heard that a 12-year-old boy witnessed the final kick and watched as his mother and grandmother tried to help the victim. Mr O'Neill's widow, Sara, said she had been left "completely devastated" and haunted by nightmares.

"Jim was not only my husband for 49 years but my soulmate," she said in a victim impact statement. I feel depressed, often crying, haunted by dark thoughts. I struggle to sleep and have recurring nightmares witnessing the love of my life bleeding on the floor."

She said she had been forced to put their home up for sale and had not left the flat for weeks after the attack.

Their son, Amos O'Neill, said he saw his father "start to lose consciousness" and told the court: "We never got justice in the courtroom." Gocan denied wrongdoing but was convicted of manslaughter by a jury on May 1.

Prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC said the violence went "well beyond" a single punch and involved the use of a "shod foot" - in a shoe or boot - as a weapon.

Defence barrister Benjamin Aina KC said the attack was "completely out of character" and added that Gocan had no previous convictions.

However, he had received a caution in 2012 for pushing his wife. The court also heard how Gocan was a carer for his children, one of whom has autism.

In a letter read aloud in court, he said: "I am so very, very sorry. Words cannot describe the remorse and regret that I feel.

"I take full responsibility for what happened. I failed my children, religion, myself, and above all Mr O'Neill."

Judge Hales told him: "I am satisfied that Mr O'Neill's death was caused in an unlawful act falling just short of GBH. You told the jury you dialled 999 - your phone bore no trace of this call. The truth is you did absolutely nothing."

Gocan, who wore grey prison-issue sweatpants, showed no emotion as the sentence was passed. He must serve two-thirds of the 12-year sentence in custody before he can be considered for release on licence.

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from Specialist Crime South - who led the investigation - said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr O'Neill, who lost a loved one in shocking circumstances.

"The killer acted disgracefully, punching and kicking his victim in full view of members of the public - among them children - on a busy Sunday morning.

"The jury's verdict shows that casual, thuggish violence will not be tolerated on London's streets. There was absolutely no excuse for Gocan's conduct."