A CAR dealer accused of killing a man outside a bar in Chislehurst has told a court he was acting in self defence.

Oliver O’Bryan, formerly of Shortlands, Bromley, admitted punching Paul Baker to the head but insisted it was only because he came at him with a clenched fist.

Giving evidence at the Old Bailey, Mr O’Bryan, said: “He (Baker) was at me in a split second and that’s when I through the punch.”

Paul Baker, 25, who grew up in Sidcup, died of severe head injuries at Queen Mary’s Hospital 32 hours after the fight outside The Lounge bar in White Horse Hill, Chislehurst on May 7 last year.

He also told the court how his brother, Christopher O’Bryan, had been involved in a scuffle with Mr Baker just moments earlier.

He said he heard one of their friends, Samuel Evans, shouting over to him, “Olly, Olly, quick, quick, it’s your brother, quick”.

Oliver O’Bryan said he ran over to where the incident had occured and saw Paul Baker being pulled away from his brother who was lying on the floor.

He told the court: “He (Christopher) had his hand across his stomach and he wasn’t getting up. My intial thoughts were that he may have been stabbed.

“Paul Baker was jumping up and down, waving his arms he had his fists clinched. All of a sudden there were people all around and he just came through the people and ran straight at me.

“I looked at his hands to see if he had a knife or a weapon, I couldn’t see any. He got so close to me, within arms length. He was going to hit me or I hit him or he was going to stab me. I had no choice but to defend myself.”

He added: “I was obviously in fear that he would hurt me. I hit with my right hand which hit him towards the head. He just fell straight back and hit his head.”

Micheal Borrelli QC, defending Oliver O’Bryan, asked him: “Did you kick him?”

He responded: “No I don’t know where this has come from.

“No-one kicked him at all. I was the last one to touch Paul.”

He also told the court that his entire involvement in the incident had lasted no more than 15 secs.

Earlier in the day, one of the co-defendants, Samuel Evans, was cleared on the orders of the judge of manslaughter and violent disorder. He shook hands with the accused men before walking free from the dock.

Christopher and Oliver O’Bryan, both from Tonbridge, and Daniel Becks-Evans, of Leas Green, Chislehurst, deny manslaughter and violent disorder.

The trial continues.