Murder trial: Former boxer admits throwing "haymaker" punch at Chesterfield dad but denied he was holding a screwdriver

Melusi Madaweni spoke in a murder trial which heard that the tool pierced the skull of Billy Pearson, 26, who died from brain injuries a few days later.

While giving evidence in his defence at Derby Crown Court, Madaweni said two screwdrivers were dropped by a group of people after some violence related to drugs in Chesterfield that night.

He told a court that he took the screwdrivers home, then realised that he had lost a mobile phone and some cash during a clash with the group near St Mary's and All Saints' Church around midnight on August 7.

Madaweni, 30, left his flat on Chester Street with the intention of returning the screwdrivers and finding his phone and money.

CCTV has shown him in a fight with Mr Pearson and another man, with a woman initially joining in.

At one point, Madaweni stumbles into the gutter in the street near the Apartment Bar. He is punched and kicked.

He goes home but CCTV later shows him returning to the town centre, running bare chested and in a balaclava for some of the trip.

CCTV records him striking Mr Pearson, who falls in the churchyard. The stricken man was given emergency medical treatment but could not be saved.

During four hours in the witness, box Madaweni said: "When I used to box, if you went to hit someone in the face, you threw it straight.

"I didn't want to hurt anybody - a haymaker because I was being lazy."

Kevin Hagerty KC, defending, asked if that was the punch he used in the churchyard.

Madaweni, who demonstrated the movement in court, replied: "Same punch, haymaker punch."

When asked why he wore a balaclava, Madaweni said: "Put fear in them and not be seen in the dark, same individuals that beat me up before.

"I was thinking if I go under the trees it is a bit dark and they will not see my face."

Mr Hagerty asked why he was wearing weight-lifting gloves when returning to the town centre.

"To protect my hands from any knife attack or anything," he said.

Shortly before the fatal attack, Madaweni put his shirt back on and was asked why he had done this. "I was under the impression they had gone," he told the barrister.

Mr Hegarty asked: "When you put your shirt on, where were the screwdrivers?" Madaweni told him: "I think in my pockets."

When asked why he had brought the screwdrivers back, he said: "I was hoping to give them back."

After studying CCTV, Mr Hegarty asked: "We can see Billy Pearson at the moment you walk into the churchyard. Did you know he was there?"

The defendant replied: "Not at all."

When asked why he hit Mr Pearson, Madaweni said: "I think I panicked because I recognised at that stage it was him. He had beaten me up before."

Mr Hegarty asked: "When you struck him, which part of your hand came into contact with him?"

He replied: "The knuckles of my right hand."

The barrister asked: "Did you intend to hit him with the screwdrivers in your hand?"

Jobless Madaweni told him: "Not at all."

And when asked if he realised Mr Pearson had suffered "a traumatic injury," he said "no."

Madaweni pleads not guilty to murder and also denies manslaughter.

Gordon Aspden KC, prosecuting, asked him: "You are saying, when you did that, you didn't know you were holding a screwdriver?" He replied: "Correct."

Mr Pearson's family were in court as Madaweni spoke for four hours about the night.

Mr Aspden asked him: "Are you proud of that punch?"

Madaweni replied: "Not really."

He added: "I feel sorry for how everything unfolded. It has haunted me since.

"We have got a guy loses his life. We have got a family here. I wish I had a chance to apologise.

"There is nothing to be proud of. The guy is deceased."

The trial continues.