Boxer, 25, murdered man, 20, with a single punch that made his ‘skull rotate rapidly on his spine’

A boxer killed an innocent young man with a single punch resulting in him being ‘brain dead before he hit the ground’ in an ‘unprovoked pub attack’. 

Brandon Sillence, 25, used his fists to deliver the fatal blow to unsuspecting Dean Skillin, 20, during a night out that made his ‘skull rotate rapidly on his spine leaving him brain dead before he hit floor’.    

Sillence had been drinking at The Waverley pub in Bangor, North Wales, when he launched the attack ‘without provocation’. 

A jury heard he hit Skillin and his cousin Taylor Lock after approaching them in the pub – and left him for dead.

Sillence has admitted to manslaughter over the death of Skillin on September 19 last year, but has denied murder. 

He told a Caernarfon Crown Court jury that he wanted to stop potential trouble outside a pub and punched Lock and his cousin Skillin, but did not intend to cause serious harm or kill them.    

A post mortem revealed the blow had caused Dean Skillin’s, 20, (pictured) skull to rotate ‘rapidly and violently’ on the top of the spine

Sillence had been drinking at The Waverley pub in Bangor, North Wales, (pictured) when he launched the fatal attack ‘without provocation’

Sillence told police: ‘I just literally jabbed. I have gone ‘boom, boom’. I just wanted them to f*** off. I was looking forward to going home to my bird, mate.’ 

The court heard Sillence had approached the pair before punching them both in quick succession.

Sillence was arrested – and told police he was protecting a friend.

He told Detective Constable Lee Harshey-Jones: ‘Two lads were ready to go for my mate, so I slapped them both.

‘It was just a warning. I wasn’t aggressive. I have not tried to hurt anybody.

‘I’ve hit two people. I punched then both to warn them….to back off. One fell down, the other one just stumbled.

But Sillence, who had been interviewed at Caernarfon Police Station, insisted he had not intended to kill anyone.

He said: ‘I am not a bionic man. I have just moved my hand forward. I did not intend anyone to die.’ 

Prosecutor John Philpotts said Skillin was brain dead before he hit the floor.

He said: ‘The punch struck Dean Skillin and fractured the vertebrae, damaging the vertebral artery with the bleeding compromising Dean Skillin’s brain stem and resulting in him being brain dead before he hit the ground.’

Dean’s cousin Mr Lock said he felt a blow to the left side of his jaw before he regained his senses and saw his relative unconscious on the floor.

He said: ‘A man was looking at me very aggressively. He said: ‘You think you’re big boys’. ‘ 

The jury heard Sillence told police he may have ‘super-strength’ but that he was not a trained boxer.

He said he lost the only fight he ever fought – a charity bout in a Liverpool nightclub in aid of people with autism – and cried when he found out he had caused Skillin’s death. 

Prosecutor John Philpotts showed the jury video clips of Sillence punching balls, exercising with tyres and sparring with someone with pads on their hands in 2018. 

There was also a clip of Sillence shadow boxing at home during the lockdown of 2020.

Mr Philpotts took Sillence, in the witness box, back to when detectives told him Mr Skillin had died. He said Sillence had told police: ‘I must have super-strength.’

Mr Philpotts said: ‘You must have super-strength or you may be a trained boxer?’

Sillence denied ever being trained and said: ‘Shadow boxing where you hit the air? If I was hitting boxers, I would understand, but I was hitting fresh air.’

The court also heard Adrian Roberts was talking to Mr Lock outside The Waverley Hotel about dogs in their neighbourhood.

A jury heard Sillence (right) hit Dean (left) and his cousin Taylor Lock after approaching them in the pub – and left him for dead

Sillence intervened and punched Mr Lock and Mr Skillin. He said he was being ‘protective not aggressive’.

But he admitted being ‘childish’ outside The Waverley, after the court heard he had called one officer a ‘p****’, said he knew his face and pretended to vomit.

Today, Sillence, dressed in a white shirt, cream tie and black trousers, told his defence barrister Andrew O’Byrne QC: ‘I just thought my mate was getting jumped. I threw two normal punches.

‘When you throw a hard punch, you put your body through it. I did not do that.

‘I just gave them warning shots. I understand I’m responsible for the death of Dean but I never went out that night to cause anyone serious harm.’

He said he cried on hearing Mr Skillin had died ‘because I never intended any of this’.

Mr O’Byrne asked him: ‘Did you intend to kill or seriously harm Mr Skillin?’

Sillence said: ‘No, never. I have a child and I took one from someone.’

The defendant, who said he has ADHD, added: ‘Usually my normal behaviour was to be bouncy – Jack in the Box, Tigger. But I was calm and in control of the situation [that night].’

The court heard he was later breathalysed and found to have 20 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit for driving is 35 microgrammes. 

Caernarfon Crown Court heard a nearby police officer heard an ‘an awful, hollow thud’ as up to 40 people were leaving the pub.

Paramedics rushed Dean to hospital where a CT showed a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain. He died the following morning.

A post mortem revealed the blow had caused Dean’s skull to rotate ‘rapidly and violently’ on the top of the spine.

The court heard the violence erupted outside the pub in September last year after Sillence had been acting ‘aggressively.’

Sillence, of Bangor, admits manslaughter but denies murder.

The trial continues.