A loving father who was attacked in a pub by a stranger after an England Euro 2024 game died from head injuries, an inquest heard.
David Hallatt was enjoying a drink with work colleagues when there was an incident and he was seen to fall in front of horrified customers at The Dolphin and Anchor pub in West Street, Chichester.
His family said the 57-year-old tiler from Sheffield will be forever in their broken hearts.
Mr Hallatt died outside the Wetherspoon pub after emergency services battled to save his life.
The scene outside the Dolphin and Anchor in Chichester last month (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)
An inquest heard he was seen to fall backwards and hit his head just before 11pm on Thursday, June 20, after England drew with Denmark at the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.
READ MORE: Father-of-two who died outside pub will 'forever be in family's broken hearts'
Joanne Andrews, assistant coroner for Brighton, Hove and West Sussex, heard the 57-year-old tiler from Sheffield died at the scene.
A post mortem two days later revealed the cause of death as blunt force head injury, the coroner’s court in Horsham heard.
The Hallatt family said Mr Hallatt was with workmates at the pub.
They described him as a “devoted family man”.
“David was so violently taken from us,” the family said in a statement.
“He was married for 25 years with two young daughters, aged 20 and 22.
“He lived for his family, and he loved his work as a tiler travelling the country.
“He played the electric guitar, and was an avid football and rock music fan.”
Kieran Egan, 30, of Baldmoor Lake Road in Birmingham, was arrested at the scene.
He was remanded in custody and will appear in court again in August.
A 42-year-old man from County Durham arrested on suspicion of affray has been released on conditional bail.
A third man suspected of affray has been identified and is still at large.
Sussex Police said detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances which led to David’s death.
A force spokesman said: “We are urging anyone with information to report it via the Major Incident Public Portal under Operation Arunside or by contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or report it online.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel