Man murdered for his girlfriend's Hallowe'en hat

Ben Gardner, 30, was said to have been punched to the ground and kicked in the head in front of Allanna Devine as he tried to retrieve the fancy dress witch’s hat.

The couple had spent the evening at a Hallowe'en party and were just yards from the entrance to Miss Devine’s flat in Sutton, Surrey, when the incident happened in the early hours of Sunday morning.

It is alleged that Mr Gardner, a former banker who worked in IT for the insurance giant Legal & General, was knocked to the ground by a single punch before being kicked in the head as he lay on the pavement.

He was rushed to St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Surrey, but never regained consciousness and died of his head injuries at about 8pm on Sunday evening.

His best friend, Will Fearnley-Whittingstall, a cousin of the television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, was among those at his bedside when he died.

“Ben and I were like brothers, I’ve known him for 23 years since we were seven years old and we were riding bikes around the local park,” he said last night.

“Ben was everyone’s best friend, he always had a smile and a laugh, he was the friendliest person you could ever meet, he was protective of people he cared for, just a happy, normal person.

“He had just got a new job at a big insurance company, bought his first flat, got a new girlfriend.”

It is understood that the couple were walking along Throwley Way in the centre of Sutton at about 3.30am when they came across a large group of both men and women.

One of the men reached out and snatched the pointed hat from Miss Devine’s head and walked off as if for a prank.

When Mr Gardner asked for it back, the thief spat in it before handing it over. But as he did so other members of the group set upon him.

A local taxi driver who witnessed the attack said Mr Gardner was chased around 30 yards along the road before being caught.

"The gang chased him down the street and managed to catch up with him outside Riley's (bar)," he said.

He was then set upon and knocked unconscious within seconds. His girlfriend was also punched in the face.

"Ben wanted to protect his girlfriend who was herself assaulted and did so, he was punched once and knocked to the ground and then kicked a couple of times,” said Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall.

“I would say that the people who killed him didn’t go out to kill but through their own idiocy one or two punches were enough kill him.

“They have not only ended Ben’s life and ruined that of everyone who knew him but they have ruined their own lives as well.”

Last night, Miss Devine was too upset to speak about her ordeal. Friends said she was “devastated and appalled”.

The doorman in the smart, high-rise apartment block where she lives said she was a "friendly and attractive" young professional.

"Everyone's really appalled at what happened," he said. "It's not normally that kind of area."

Mr Gardner’s death represents a double tragedy for his grandmother Margaret with whom he lived for several years since his mother’s death.

Det Insp Bob Campany of Scotland Yard’s homicide and serious crime command said: “Although it was 3.30am there were a lot of people in the area at the time of the incident as the local clubs were closing.

"This appears to be a violent unprovoked attack on an innocent man who was out enjoying Halloween night with his girlfriend."

Five men and two women were being questioned at several south London police stations last night. An eighth man who was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning has been released and will face no further action.