Fancy dress man 'killed by punch'

Gareth Davies died of head injuries three days after the fight in hospital

A financial adviser was killed by a single punch as he tried to break up a fight at a charity fancy dress party, a Cardiff inquest has heard.

Gareth Davies, 26, from Llangibby, near Usk, Monmouthshire, was dressed as a Ghostbuster when he was caught up in the scuffle in Cwmbran.

Aaron Davies and Dariush Naseriyan, both 22 and from the Cwmbran area, were later arrested but not charged.

They were called to give evidence but refused to answer questions.

The coroner's court was told keen footballer Gareth Davies, of Llangibby, was trying to break up the fight when he was punched in the face and fell to the ground unconscious.

He died of head injuries three days later in hospital.

The inquest heard Mr Davies wore a white boiler suit for his Ghostbuster costume at the fancy dress party at the John Fielding pub in Cwmbran.

'Innocent bystander'

But he later moved on to the town centre Weatherspoons with a group of friends.

Several witnesses said they had not seen what happened in the car park and just found Mr Davies lying on the ground outside.

Others told the inquest they did not see a punch and Mr Davies just fell backwards on to the ground.

Taxi driver Mark Brennan told the hearing how he saw Mr Davies standing in the pub car park at the end of the night.

He said: "A fight broke out but the man in the boiler suit was only involved trying to split things up. I think that's where the punch came from.

"I heard his head hit the floor with such force I told the passengers in my car: 'He's not getting back up'."

Mr Brennan described the blow as a "roundhouse punch" and demonstrated it to the inquest.

Mr Davies' friend Mathew Balham, who was dressed as Buzz Lightyear told the hearing: "I believe Gareth was going to break up the fight.

"Gareth grabbed a ginger-haired man by the shoulder but he lost his grip and fell straight back.

"I'm 100% convinced Gareth was unconscious before he had hit the ground.

"I did not see anyone hit Gareth or see him slip."

'Cheap shot'

Another taxi driver who was parked outside the pub told the inquest Mr Davies was an "innocent bystander".

Police officers arrived at the car park and found Mr Davies lying on the floor.

Pc Claire Morgan said: "Some people were saying he had slipped and fallen, some people said he had been hit and some people said it was a cheap shot which came from nowhere."

She said Mr Davies refused to wait for an ambulance and went home with his friends in a taxi.

But the next day his friends couldn't wake him for a football match and called an ambulance.

Home office Pathologist Dr Stephen Leadbetter said Mr Davies died as a result of a blunt head injury.

Aaron Davies and Dariush Naseriyan spoke only to confirm they did not know Mr Davies before the tragedy last October.

The inquest continues.