Teenager who killed cyclist with a scissor kick to the head after the man called him a 'n*****' is jailed for four years

• Imran St Clair kicked Eamonn Anderson, 56, in the head in Oxford High Street
• He fell from his bike, causing a dislocated jaw, a skull fracture and brain injuries
• A court heard St Clair told police that Mr Anderson was being racist towards him
• St Clair, who fled the scene on a bus, was sentenced to four years imprisonment

A teenager who killed a cyclist with a scissor kick to the head after being called a 'monkey' and a 'n****r' has been jailed for four years.

Imran St Clair and a group of his friends crossed paths with 56-year-old Eamonn Anderson and his dog, Charlie, who he was walking on a lead while riding his bike.

The 18-year-old kicked the cyclist in the head as he was trying to get onto his mountain bike, causing him to fall and smash his head on the ground.

Doctors placed the injured man in an induced coma but he died two weeks later when his life support machine was switched off.

St Clair, who fled the scene in Oxford on a bus, was jailed for four years after admitting a charge of manslaughter.

Prosecutor Matthew Walsh said St Clair and his friends were running alongside Mr Anderson as he cycled along the road.

'Something caused Mr Anderson to stop and get off his bike, keeping Charlie on the lead,' he added.

'He was still on the lead when Mr Anderson was found lying on the ground.

'Mr Anderson is not able to give his account. Something caused Mr St Clair to use unlawful violence, the only act of violence was a kick to Mr Anderson's head. What caused that is a matter of debate.'

Oxford Crown Court heard St Clair told police that Mr Anderson was racist towards him and Mr Walsh admitted that may have caused him to lose his temper.

St Clair and a group of men became embroiled in an argument with Mr Anderson in Oxford's High Street between 11.30pm and 11.45pm on October 25.

When paramedics arrived there was blood coming out of Mr Anderson's head and an ear and he was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxon.

He had a dislocated jaw, a tooth missing, a fracture to the right side of his skull and a traumatic brain injury.

His life support machine was turned off two weeks later and he died on November 11 last year.

Mr Walsh said that his injuries were a result of the kick rather than the impact with the pavement.

However Andrew Hall, defending, disagreed and believed that the impact of the pavement caused the serious injuries.

In St Clair's defence statement, he said that his friends started to make a commotion because some of them were scared of dogs.

Mr Hall said: 'The defendant had been in the library that day and met up with his friends to hang out with each other, nothing suggests that they had been drinking.

'They came into contact with Mr Anderson and he was with his dog, a Pitbull terrier, two of the boys were particularly frightened of those dogs and they ran away which caused merriment to the others who started barking at them.

'Whether it was that that annoyed Mr Anderson, he let the dog off the chain and it went off in the direction of the other boys.'

He said that Mr Anderson was racist towards the defendant, who was a sixth former at the time and used terms such as 'monkey' and 'n****r'.

'This is not merely banter and is provocative under any circumstances. The defendant accepts that his confrontation might have been an over-reaction to the threat he faced,' Mr Hall said.

'This is a young man with great promise who has a place at university. Someone who is an example of someone who will do the best he can and will live his life as a law abiding person.' 

Judge Zoe Smith sentenced St Clair, of Oxford, to four years imprisonment with 112 days of electronic tag deducted.