Anger at 'paltry' sentence for 'monster' who killed 'hard-working family man' in row over supermarket queue
Andrew Clark, 43, died three days after being struck with an open palm during a row in a supermarket queue
Anger has grown after a thug who killed a man queuing at Sainsbury's was handed a "paltry" five-year sentence.
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Demiesh Williams, 30, has been jailed for killing "hard-working family man" Andrew Clark, 43, who he struck with an open palm following a row at the supermarket in Beckenham, southeast London.
Mr Clark had confronted Williams when he tried to queue jump at the tills, Woolwich Crown Court heard.
Williams, a bus driver, then left the shop and went to a car but decided to turn back to confront Mr Clark.
The attacker slapped the victim with an open hand, forcing him to fall to the floor, the court heard.
Mr Clark was pronounced dead three days later after succumbing to his injuries.
Williams pleaded guilty on Thursday to manslaughter and was sentenced to five years and three months in prison.
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Burt Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has branded the sentence as "paltry".
“Williams committed an appalling crime and yet his prison sentence is paltry.
"A five-year sentence, reduced further under the early release scheme, is not justice. I am writing to the Attorney General asking that it is reconsidered," he told the Daily Mail.
Judge Andrew Lees said: “Andrew Clark was 43 at the time of his death. He was a hard-working family man.
“I have heard heartfelt statements read to the court by Andrew's wife and his sister. What the family said in court brings home the magnitude of what has happened and the devastating loss and consequences of your actions.
“The family are dealing with unimaginable grief from which recovery is unlikely to ever be complete.
"By all accounts Andrew Clark was much loved, much respected, and will be much missed, and it should never have happened.”
He told the Williams: 'Demiesh Williams, for the manslaughter of Andrew Clark the sentence of the court is five years and three months.
'You will serve up to two thirds of that sentence in prison thereafter you will be released subject to licence conditions. If you breach your licence conditions you will be recalled to prison.'
Mr Clark's 14-year-old daughter previously told Williams that he "destroyed" the family in the "cruellest way possible".
Her aunt said in a statement read out in court: “My dad was not just my dad. He was my best friend. We did everything together.'
In a message to the killer, she said: 'You did this to my dad. My dad was the most generous man I know. I don't want to live my life without him.
“You got to keep your family, while you destroyed mine in the cruellest way.”
Mr Clark's wife Cairistine also addressed the killer in her impact statement in court read out in court.
She asked: “What type of man choses to kill rather than simply walking away?
“You are a coward. You are a killer. You are a monster.”