A 22-YEAR-OLD man accused of killing a father-of-one after a night out has walked free from court after being cleared of manslaughter.

The family of the dead man, 25-year-old Edward Jones, of Lion Road, Bexleyheath, gasped with shock as the jury announced its verdict after 12 hours of deliberation.

Mr Jones died after his head smashed onto a concrete pavement in Lovel Avenue, Welling, when he was punched by Daniel Vella on December 10 last year.

He suffered a fractured skull and bleeding to the brain and died the following day when his life support machine was turned off.

Mr Vella, 22, from Peckham, claimed he had not wanted to hit Mr Jones after trouble broke out outside a cab office near Inferno's pub in Central Avenue, Welling.

The Old Bailey jury heard conflicting stories about who was trying to act as a peacemaker.

CCTV images were shown of Mr Jones apparently calm and trying to intervene.

But Mr Vella claimed it was he and not Mr Jones who was acting as a peacemaker between the group and his friend Ricky Brooker.

Mr Vella claimed he "did what he had to do" for his own safety when he punched Mr Jones to the ground.

He told the court: "I did not want to fight anyone.

"Eddie was the last person I wanted to fight with. Unfortunately, he wanted to attack me and I had to defend myself."

Mr Vella continued: "He pushed me once. I went back but I did not react.

"He came for me again and I had to defend myself.

"I just did what I had to do for my own safety."

Mr Vella added: "I want to make it clear, I had no problems with Eddie outside the pub, at the cab office.

"If Eddie never came for me a second time, I would never have punched him."

The prosecution had alleged Mr Vella hit Mr Jones on the jaw with a brick in his hand.

Mr Vella admitted grabbing a brick from a wall in Lovel Avenue but claimed he dropped it after being chased by six men.

He said he was angry with Mr Jones for doing nothing to intervene, even though he knew the group and Mr Brooker.

Mr Vella, who was jailed in 2005 over another pub fight, said he fled to Malta after the fight last year as he feared Mr Jones's family would kill him.