Victim: Paul Mason

THE family of a bank chief who suffered fatal brain injuries after being punched in the West End have told of their pain at watching him die.

Paul Mason passed away six months after being left unconscious on the pavement in Cambridge Circus in December 2020.

For half of that time, the 52-year-old’s loved ones could not be with him in hospital because of the coronavirus restrictions.

Yesterday (Thursday), his killer was sent to prison but relatives said they were disappointed it was not for a life-term.

Steven Allan, 35, was found not guilty of murder but jailed for three years and nine months on a charge of manslaughter.

The electrician had contacted police himself after seeing an appeal to identify him, and was charged with grievous bodily harm. This was escalated to a murder case after Mr Mason later died in hospital.

Guilty: Steven Allan

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. Paul was an innocent victim of an unprovoked attack which resulted in a serious brain injury.”

Mr Allan, from Eversley, Hampshire, had punched the victim three times in a mistaken belief that he had stolen a friend’s phone. He was described as running away from the scene as Mr Mason was on the ground and paramedics called.

Mr Mason, a boss at the Qatari National Bank, had been awarded the status as Freeman of the City of London for charity work. He had left The Ivy restaurant when he was attacked.

A spokesperson for Mr Mason’s family, said: “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. 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.”

They added: “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.”

Mr Mason had raised funds for MND charity and Cystic Fibrosis Trust with challenges which included climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.