Three years and nine months for banker killer

An electrician who fled in a rickshaw after punching a millionaire banker to death in the street was branded a ‘violent thug’ by the victim’s devastated family.

Paul Mason, 52, CEO for Qatar National Bank, was confronted by Steven Allan, 35, after enjoying a meal at The Ivy in London’s West End, in December 2020.

Allan, who had been drinking in various bars, drunkenly accused Mr Mason of stealing his friend’s mobile phone before knocking him to the ground.

As Mr Mason tried to get up Allan hit him with an uppercut and witnesses heard the sickening crunch as his skull made contact with the pavement.

Allan shouted at him: ‘Where’s your fight now’ as the victim lay senseless, the Old Bailey heard.

The court heard today (thurs) that Mr Mason’s brother Simon, who worked part time in a garage, had taken his own life as a result of his brother’s death.

Doctors battled to save Mr Mason and even carried out a procedure to replace part of his skull with a sheet of titanium, but he died six months later on 4 June 2021.

Allan jumped into a cycle rickshaw while members of the public tried to help Mr Mason.

He was later traced from CCTV footage and arrested.

Allan admitted manslaughter but denied murder and was cleared of the more serious charge by an Old Bailey jury following a retrial in January.

Allan insisted he was just trying to retrieve his friend’s phone and did not mean to hurt Mr Mason.

Allan told jurors it was a ‘tragic accident’ adding: ‘I was an absolute idiot, I don’t know how I jumped to such a wrong conclusion at the time but I did.’

Mr Mason’s sister Rachel Mason, an NHS worker, stood staring directly at Allan as she read her victim impact statement, while Allan stared at the floor.

‘You Steven Allan violently attacked and killed my brother and have left me broken and devastated.

‘A feeling of melancholy will consume me for the rest of my life as I have to live without Paul.

‘You’ve broken my family for evermore. I’m overwhelmed with feelings of shock, disbelief and hatred towards you. How dare you take Paul’s life?

‘I just can’t comprehend someone doing this to another human being especially someone I loved so much.

‘Watching the CCTV in court, the horrific violent attack on Paul and how he tried to escape you will haunt me forever.

‘You’ve shockingly been out on bail to enjoy your life. Yes, you had a curfew but lockdown meant we all had restrictions so no hardship there.

‘You’ve had the luxury of time with your family while we, due to Covid, could only see Paul on FaceTime while he was lying in a coma for weeks, in hospital for over four months.

‘When he came out of the induced coma he was distressed, could not move or talk properly or swallow his and his short-term memory had gone.

‘He had to have part of his skull removed to relieve the pressure on his brain that was swelling because of the damage done to it by you.

‘We ultimately watched Paul die as the brain damage you caused took his life and the life support was withdrawn.

‘His previously fit and healthy body wasted away in front of us over three days. All we could do was watch him die.

‘My brother Paul was a remarkable, kind, decent, gentle soul who was so successful in every aspect of his life, highly regarded in his international banking career, loved dearly by his family.

She added that her other brother had relapsed into alcoholism and taken his own life three months after Mr Mason’s death.

‘My other brother Simon is a vulnerable adult and could not cope with the violent killing of his little brother.

‘He was consumed with trauma and grief and died from an overdose three months after Paul died. You have left me with no siblings at all.

‘The deep connection to my childhood has gone. I have no doubt whatsoever your actions contributed to the death of my other sibling.

‘Simon leaves a 13-year-old without a father to love and support him in life because of you.

‘I’m now alone to support my elderly parents through old age.

‘I’ve not been able to function well or work in the NHS due to PTSD.

‘I hope you feel sick in the pit of your stomach every day for the rest of your life as you live with being a, in my mind, murderer.’

Finally, Ms Mason held up her brother’s phone and said: ‘This is Paul’s phone. You killed him for this.’

Mr Mason had put a female friend in a black cab after they had spent the night at the exclusive Ivy when he was confronted by Allan on December 15, 2020.

Allan, who had been drinking with a colleague, marched across the road to him and tried to grab his phone.

Mr Mason tried to continue his journey but Allan followed him and punched him with his right fist, knocking him to the ground.

‘He appears then to lean down towards Mason, who is at the same time trying to shrug him off and move away from the defendant,’ said Jane Bickerstaff, KC, prosecuting.

‘The defendant then punched Mr Mason a second time while he was trying to get back to his feet.

‘He then punches him a third time with an upper cut that causes Mr Mason to fly back and land on his back with his head hitting the pavement.’

Ms Bickerstaff today (thurs) described it as a sustained violent attack involving three punches.

She showed the judge images of Mr Mason taken from police body worn footage after the attack showing injures to his face including a cut above his eye.

‘Although the defendant has some explanation for approaching Mr Mason where he sought to grasp Mr Mason’s phone out of his hand without explanation, after Mr Mason decided to turn the other cheek in a dignified manner there has been no explanation for the violent attack that followed.

‘This is more than a one punch manslaughter, there is at least three punches that can be seen on the footage.

‘The defendant wanted a fight and was frustrated the victim was not putting up a resistance.’

She disputed Allan’s claim he had sought to help Mr Mason, saying he left the scene 55 seconds after he hit the floor.

William Boyce, KC, defending, said the first punch was actually a push, and Allan had only punched Mr Mason once if at all.

He said that in all other aspects of his life Allan was friendly, helpful, supportive and not violent or confrontational in any way.

Allan has no previous convictions for any offence.

Mr Mason’s father Ian Mason said in a statement read to court: ‘My life and the lives of my family have been changed forever as a direct result of that brutal attack on Paul.

‘Paul was very much a family man at heart and although he did not yet have children of his own he kept in constant touch with his nieces and godchildren.

‘My son Simon was devastated his brother had been murdered and it led him to start drinking again which led to him passing away. He had been in a recovery centre and had come out and was living happily and seeing his son regularly.

‘I know nothing will bring my sons back to us but I hope a violent thug will be taken off the streets so he can’t ruin another family’s life as he has ruined ours.’

His mother Linda Mason said: ‘For his charitable works in the financial world Paul was so proud to be awarded the Freeman of the City of London, but he could not safely walk on a London street.

‘Paul had no freedom from the violent, pointless attack.

‘He was a regular visitor to my mother who will be 102 next week. During Covid Paul could only window visit and telephone.

‘She does not understand why her grandson Paul does not visit or call her anymore.

‘I have now lost two sons. I just hope he cannot harm anymore innocent people.’

Registered nurse Laura Gil Selva saw Allan aggressively shouting at the victim and described him throwing a forceful punch and causing the victim’s face to bleed.

‘She saw that as Mr Mason went to the floor for the final time, his head hit the floor making a loud sound,’ said Ms Bickerstaff.

‘She recalls that as she sought to help the victim, the defendant said to her, something like, “Don’t touch him or help him. You don’t know what he did. He’s kidnapped my nephew.”

Another witness, Vaki Dhaval, was on his way home after having a meal with friends saw that Mr Mason with his hand in front of him in a defensive manner telling Allan to ‘stay away.’

‘He continued to watch, and it appeared to him that it was all over as both men seemed to be walking away in different directions, but then, for no apparent reason the defendant punched Mr Mason, knocking him off his feet,’ said Ms Bickerstaff.

‘He saw the assault and heard Mr Allan say, after he had punched the victim to the ground, “Where is your fight now? Show me your fight now!”

‘He saw that the defendant continued shouting as if he was trying to see if there was any possibility to continue the attack.’

Eyewitness Gary McGuinness told the court he had been drinking with a friend when he saw the fight.

‘The guy looked up across the road and essentially just ran across the road towards this person who’d just answered the phone and began a scuffle, a dramatic looking scuffle.

‘What was happening in front of my eyes didn’t make sense so I was trying to comprehend it, were these people friends? Was this a jackass thing or a joke?

‘It looked like some sort of lads banter in some weird way because it was so dramatic I couldn’t equate why it would be happening otherwise.

‘The gentleman who answered the phone then fell to the ground as part of the scuffle.

‘There was a moment when he managed to get back on his feet again, and then there was a kind of decisive hit, navy jacket man [Allan] hit the gentleman and caught him so he fell rigidly onto the pavement and it was an audible noise of his head hitting the ground.

‘He didn’t do anything to break his own fall, he was completely rigid and fell down like a plank of wood.

‘His head hitting the ground appeared to make a squelching noise, a horrible noise really.’

He said Allan then disappeared from the scene while members of the public tried to help Mr Mason.

Allan, of Hook, Hampshire, admitted manslaughter but denied and was cleared of murder.

Mr Mason was awarded Freedom of the City of London to recognise his business success and charitable work.

He lived in London but also had a home in Dorset and was a trustee of Lyme Regis Museum.

Allan showed no emotion as he was was jailed for three years and nine months.

Judge Michael Topolski said: ‘The circumstances that led to the defendant causing the death of a wholly respectable and perfectly innocent stranger are as extraordinary as they are tragic.

‘The sudden and unexpected nature of the circumstances that led to his death have exacerbated the family’s feelings of disbelief, stress and anger at the manner of his passing.

‘The fact it has taken two trials to reach this point cannot have made the family’s position any less unbearable.

‘The two men at the centre of these events were complete strangers in the company of different people that night.

‘In a series of absolutely extraordinary coincidences these two men were later in the evening to come together leading to a truly devastating result.

‘The defendant lived in Hampshire with two small children and was the site manager on a substantial project in Hyde Park Place.

‘He neither knew nor liked central London, he found it out of his comfort zone and a place where he found himself becoming both anxious and wary. Before then he had never been to the West End of London.

‘As Mr Mason came into Mr Allan’s view the screen of his phone is seen to be lit.

‘This was at the very moment the defendant was trying to contact his friend Taylor, who as far as he was aware was still inside club premises.

‘The defendants case to the jury was that in a state of increasing anxiety he believed Paul Mason had got hold of Taylor’s phone, and so he walked across, engaged Mr Mason and attempted to look at his phone.

‘It was not Taylor’s phone. It was Mr Mason’s phone.

‘The moment they came together until the moment Mr Mason was lying on the floor unconscious took no more than 12 seconds.

‘The final blow struck sends Mr Mason backwards, fell back on his back, banging his head on the pavement without any attempt to break his fall.

‘From that moment on Paul Mason remained motionless and unconscious on his back.

‘The defendant remained at the scene less than 60 seconds after Mr Mason fell on the ground.

‘On arriving home in Hampshire the defendant did not tell his partner what had occurred that evening.

‘The next morning he saw an image of himself taken from a CCTV still on the Metropolitan Police website. He contacted the police and told them it was him the next day.

‘The defendant is a man of positive good character and in my judgement remains genuinely remorseful.

‘He has been tried twice for murder and has been acquitted.

‘Steven Allan, you have and you will have to live with the knowledge for the rest of your life that you were responsible for taking that man’s life.

‘The question before us all is why did a decent, loving family man as popular and hardworking as you is now facing a prison sentence.’

The judge told the family he was well aware his sentence would seem like ‘nothing’ as they shook their heads in the well of the court.

The court heard Allan has been diagnosed with a mixed anxiety and depressive disorder and had had panic attacks since 2017.

William Boyce, KC, defending, said there was no obvious risk to Allan that he would cause anything other than minor harm.

The judge commended the behaviour of the three nurses who helped Mr Mason while they were on a night out in Cambridge Circus.

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, said: ‘Paul Mason’s death tragically illustrates the consequences of resorting to physical violence. Even where there is no murderous intent, there is no guarantee that a violent attack won’t result in death.

‘Mr Mason’s family are devastated by this incident. Paul was an innocent victim of an unprovoked attack which resulted in a serious brain injury.

‘They have had the unenviable experience of a trial and a retrial but have acted with dignity throughout. Our thoughts are very much with them today.’

A spokesperson for Paul Mason’s family, said: ‘We are immensely disappointed that the jury did not all see the intent to cause serious harm that most people who saw the CCTV concluded.

‘We really hoped he would get a life sentence, but we must try to accept the jury’s decision.

‘At least he will be imprisoned for killing Paul and we can start to move forward a little.

‘Words cannot express how traumatised and distressed we were when we were told about the attack on Paul, a senseless act of violence on an entirely innocent man simply making his way home from an evening out with friends.

‘As it was the time of strict COVID guidelines Paul’s parents were blue lighted to the London hospital in the early hours of the morning, fully gowned they were allowed a short time with Paul to say goodbye as his condition was so critical.

‘We could then only talk to him via FaceTime once a day as he lay in a coma. We could not see him in person for over three months, only then a brief meet outside the hospital on his birthday. Months of hope and torment followed as the extent of brain injury emerged and ultimately took his life.

‘No parent or sibling should have to sit and watch their loved one slowly die as we endured once his life support was turned off six months after the attack. He was not ill or old, another man took his life.

‘We hope he feels the shame and guilt of his actions every single day until he takes his last breath. Forgiveness does not seem possible right now.

‘Paul was remarkable, a kind, gentle soul who never harmed anyone and as we know he tried to walk away from his killer.

‘He brought joy and laughter to all that knew him, he had many friends across the world that adored him.

‘He was highly respected for his career achievements in the international banking industry and recognised as a Freeman of the City of London.

‘He was loved by so many friends and colleagues across the world and an integral part of a now devastated family. He was a loving son, grandson, uncle, brother, and active God Parent to five children. He was best man at many friends’ weddings and in demand as a perfect God parent. A huge void, without the love and support he offered, remains.

‘He was full of integrity and compassion and was actively involved in charitable organisations despite his demanding role at QNB.

‘A valued Trustee for the Lyme Regis Museum and supporter of Adventure Ashram, raising funds and taking part in fundraising events such as the annual car rally.

‘In Paul’s honour Adventure Ashram charity named the best car award in his memory and Paul’s family will continue to support this charity that was so important to him.

‘Paul, not a regular runner took on the Royal Parks half marathon and raised funds for MND charity and took on the huge challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and helped raise over £11k for Cystic Fibrosis Trust charity.

‘The Lyme Regis Museum will have a dedicated piece of art commissioned to benefit the community on their terrace to remember Paul and his commitment to the Museum and preserving history for all, funded by donations from friends.

‘We are determined that Paul’s legacy will live on and he will be remembered for the joy and kindness he brought to the world and anyone that ever had the pleasure of meeting him, not for the senseless violence inflicted on him which took his life.

‘Violence against anyone is abhorrent, we should be safe to walk the streets of London without fear of attack. Fists can be fatal weapons; our brains are fragile, and we must learn from this and other tragedies like this where lives are needlessly lost and the ripple effect of murder is intensely felt.

‘We will be eternally grateful to the three nurses who bravely, after witnessing the attack, stepped in to protect and care for Paul as he lay unconscious on the pavement before Paul’s killer ran away.

‘The helicopter emergency service, on scene medics, the critical care team at St Mary’s who battled to save Paul’s life and all the clinician’s involved in Paul’s care.

‘Our wonderful NHS at its very best despite being mid-pandemic. Also, the Met police and CPS for bringing the perpetrator to justice and face the consequences of his actions which thankfully was caught on London’s CCTV network.

‘Rest in eternal peace PHM, you will be missed forever more.’