A man who publicly beat a stranger to death in front of his wife will serve fewer than five years in prison.
Demiesh Williams, 30, was jailed for manslaughter on Thursday – but will only serve up to two-thirds of his sentence before release on licence.
Williams had been called out for queue-jumping in a Sainsbury’s in Beckenham, south London.
His victim, Andrew Clark, 43, died from his injuries three days after the March attack.
Judge Andrew Lees described Clark as “a hard-working family man” whose death had caused “devastating loss” to his loved ones.
Woolwich Crown Court was shown CCTV footage of Williams leaving the store and walking to his car to grab a balaclava after the confrontation.
He then returned to the supermarket wearing just as Mr Clark was leaving.
Prosecutor Alistair Richardson told the court that Williams was “striding with intent” towards his victim.
Williams struck Mr Clark on the side of his head with an open palm, causing him to collapse immediately.
A witness at a nearby cash machine heard a “crack” as Clark’s head hit the ground.
PICTURED: Killer Demiesh Williams – who will serve fewer than five years in jail
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METROPOLITAN POLICE
The same witness reported hearing Williams say: “I told you to f***ing apologise.”
Mr Clark was rushed to hospital but was declared brain dead, and died three days later from a catastrophic brain injury.
His 14-year-old daughter addressed Williams directly through a statement read by her aunt.
She told him: “My dad was not just my dad. He was my best friend. We did everything together.”
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Woolwich Crown Court was shown CCTV footage of ‘monster’ Williams before and after the attack
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HANDOUT
The teenager said Williams had “destroyed” her family “in the cruellest way possible” – while he got to keep his own.
“You did this to my dad. My dad was the most generous man I know. I don’t want to live my life without him,” she said.
Mr Clark’s wife Cairistine also confronted the killer in court.
“What type of man choses to kill rather than simply walking away?” she asked. “You are a coward. You are a killer. You are a monster.”
Andrew Clark – hailed as ‘the most generous man I know’ by his daughter, and ‘a hard-working family man’ by a judge
After he was sentenced to fewer than five years behind bars, Mr Clark’s family said the prosecution had “exposed serious shortcomings within our outdated justice system.”
The Clarks argued that victims are “too often left without the protection, transparency and fairness they deserve” and raised concerns about prison capacity influencing court decisions.
“Over-crowded and underfunded prisons place pressure on courts to sentence based on capacity rather than justice,” the statement read.
The family warned that without “genuine accountability, true justice and meaningful reform, reoffending will continue and many more families may face the same devastation.”
They said Clark would “always be remembered for his kindness, generosity, humour and love.”
