A man who died after being attacked outside a Brighton night club 11 years ago was unlawfully killed, an inquest has found.
Jay Abatan died five days after he was knocked unconscious outside the Ocean Rooms night club in Morley Street, Brighton.
After being punched twice his head struck the pavement and he suffered a fractured skull.
Mr Abatan, 42, an accountant from Eastbourne, was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where he died five days later.
Post-mortem tests concluded that his death – in January 1999 – was caused by a severe head injury.
Brighton and Hove coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley said: “Jay was punched twice in the face by an individual.
“The act of punching him was an unlawful and dangerous assault upon him.
“The assault inadvertently resulted in his death.”
Delivering her verdict at Brighton Coroner’s Court she said that the attack was “entirely unprovoked”.
No one has been convicted in relation to Mr Abatan’s death.
The investigation by Sussex Police was criticised in two separate reports. Press releases issued by the Independent Police Complaints Commission can be read here and here. As a result two officers were disciplined while three others received “advice” about their conduct.
Two men did face charges of manslaughter but those charges were dropped.
One of the men, Graham Curtis, 40, of Port Hall Road, Brighton, later hanged himself at his home in June 2003.
Left to die
After the inquest Mr Abatan’s brother Michael said: “Eleven years on we have learned that Jay was severely assaulted and left, by many of those who saw, to die on the roadside.
“As a family, we know others out there do remember what happened to Jay and we will not stop until all the truth comes out.”
His family believe that the attack was racially motivated as Mr Abatan was of mixed race.
And they had concerns that this affected the way that the case was handled by Sussex Police.
They have maintained a campaign, including a website, called Justice for Jay.
Sussex Police said that its Major Crime Branch would consider whether to reopen the murder investigation into Mr Abatan’s death.
Detective Superintendent Andy Griffiths said: “The coroner’s verdict today that Jay Abatan was unlawfully killed as a result of an assault outside the Ocean Rooms in January 1999 is welcomed by Sussex Police.
“The coroner was only able to reach her verdict after a thorough examination of how Jay died and Sussex Police assisted in this process by tracing witnesses who would have relevant information to give the inquest and by supplying documents from the police investigation.
“We share the frustration of Jay’s family that no one has been brought to justice for this crime and will be reviewing evidence given by witnesses during the inquest to see if it provides new lines of inquiry.
“If so, these will be investigated by a team from the force’s Major Crime Branch.
“The inquest was a painful process for Jay’s family and friends as they heard evidence of the evening that resulted in his death and my thoughts are with them today.”
