A celebrity boxing trainer was stabbed to death after an England World Cupmatch when he came across a man ‘spoiling for a fight’ who was armed with apiece of broken glass, the Old Bailey has heard.
Reece Newcombe, 31, collapsed outside a nightclub in Richmond after beingfatally wounded in the neck in a 4am altercation with Ross Hamilton, 33, inNovember 2022
Jurors heard Hamilton and Mr Newcombe had both watched England’s World Cupclash with the USA at a fan zone at the RichmondAthletic Ground the previous evening before heading to the nearby Viva nightclub for anafter-party.
But while Mr Newcombe had enjoyed a fun evening without incident, it issaid Hamilton had been behaving aggressively and erratically for hours, and wasallegedly looking for violence.
“He had been causing trouble throughout the night in various differentways, and in various different locations including inside the nightclub”, saidprosecutor Louis Mably KC.
“He had gone from the fan zone and, as he walked along the High Street inRichmond he had been behaving in unpredicatble maner, accosting women, standingin front of a lorry, throwing his beer over a passing car.”
The prosecutor said Hamilton was involved in a string of “low levelaltercations” in the nightclub which is near to Richmond Bridge, doing karatekicks on the dancefloor, “goading” people and putting his arms aroundstrangers, and he allegedly elbowed another man without provocation afterleaving Viva.
“He began dancing around in the street, confronting security staff at thenightclub who were trying to calm him down, screaming at people ‘I will jujitsuthe f*** out of you’”, said Mr Mably.
“He was spoiling for a fight.”
The court heard Mr Newcombe, a boxing trainer who had coached celebritiesincluding Ian Wright, went up to Hamilton after he and his friends were“goaded” by the other man.
“Reece decided he was going to confront him, and that was a tragicdecision on his part – he decided he was going to take the bald man on.
“The two of them had a confrontation, he (Hamilton) got the fight that hewas asking for, except what he had done, a few minutes before he found someoneto fight with, is he had armed himself with a piece of brokebn glass and put itin his pocket, ready for when the time came.
“When the time came, he took the glass out of his pocket in the fight andhe stabbed Reece in the neck, causing the fatal wound.”
The stabbing happened in a side street near to a branch of Nando’s. It isa short walk from the area where award-winning TV series Ted Lasso is filmed.
Mr Newcombe received first aid from members of the public, policeofficers, and paramedics, but died later that morning in hospital from woundsto the veins and arteries leading to his brain.
The court heard Mr Newcombe had been drinking on the night of his death,and also had traces of cocaine and ketamine in his system.
Hamilton, who was also said to be intoxicated, has admitted causing thefatal neck wound but insists he was acting in self defence.
The Isleworth resident denies murder, having an offensive weapon, andassault by beating. The trial continues.
