Casino loser Kallum Delaney jailed for killing Robin Thomson

A Royal Navy worker who killed a man with a single punch minutes after he lost £1,000 in a Glasgow casino has been jailed for five years.

Kallum Delaney, 20, attacked 27-year-old Robin Thomson after storming out of the Riverboat Casino at 05:00 on 23 September 2014.

Mr Thomson, originally from Perth, hit his head and later died in hospital.

Delaney claimed he believed Mr Thomson was going to attack him but was found guilty of culpable homicide.

Jailing Delaney at the High Court in Edinburgh, judge Lord Glennie said there was no sentence available which could bring comfort to Mr Thomson's family.

The judge said: "This has been a difficult case. It is a tragedy."

He told Delaney: "You have been convicted of the culpable homicide of Robin Thomson, a total stranger to you who was simply making his way home following a night out.

"It was your punch that killed him. It was a completely unjustified attack."

Delaney's trial at the High Court in Glasgow heard how the Royal Navy worker and his friend, Oliver James, had gone to the casino in the early hours of the morning.

He stormed out in a foul mood after losing about £1,000 on the roulette tables, saying to Mr James: "Why did you let me lose money?"

The court heard that Mr Thomson had been sitting at the same roulette table as Delaney, but did not interact with him.

CCTV footage showed Mr Thomson leaving the casino to head home as Delaney and Mr James chatted outside.

Minutes later, Delaney lashed out with a single punch as he walked beside his victim in the city's Midland Street.

The court heard Delaney had stormed off from Mr James after refusing to pay £50 for a taxi to take him back to the Faslane naval base, near Helensburgh.

Mr James, who witnessed the attack, told the court: "As they walked along I saw Kallum hit him and he (Mr Thomson) went down.

"Once Kallum had done it he looked shocked. I told him to go. I went over to the lad just expecting him to get up, but he was unconscious."

Mr Thomson died two days later in the city's Royal Infirmary.

He had suffered a broken nose and fracture to his neck resulting in damage to his spinal cord. This starved his brain of oxygen and blood.

Delaney was later arrested at Faslane.

During the trial he claimed that Mr Thomson swore at him and challenged him to a fight.

He admitted punching the victim, but only because he felt "threatened".

The jury did not believe his story, however, and convicted him of culpable homicide.