A man who killed a golf greenkeeper by hitting him in the head with a horseshoe has been convicted of murder.
Kirkpatrick Virgo hit out at 24-year-old Thomas Parker after the pair argued over loud music from a boombox speaker on a train.
The 42-year-old, from Slough, admitted manslaughter and carrying an offensive weapon, but denied murder.
An argument had broken out after Mr Parker’s brother, Craig Parker, 27, told one of Virgo’s friends to turn down the music on a London-Reading Elizabeth Line train they were all traveling on around 11pm last July.
The two groups yelled at each other before the argument was ended by off-duty police officers.
Virgo then followed the Parker brothers when the train arrived at Reading station.
During his testimony, Craig Parker recounted how he went to vomit behind a pillar as soon as the train arrived at Reading Station.
He said he felt unwell from a McDonald’s milkshake he had consumed on the train.
“Once I threw up, I felt Tom watching me, making sure I was okay,” he said.
“Then it happened, so fast, Tom was on the floor in front of me.”
The Virgin took the horseshoe from the backpack and followed the group
The court heard that Virgo followed the group, pulling a heavy metal horseshoe from his backpack, which he then used to punch Thomas Parker in the head.
Craig Parker told the court he chased Virgo through the station because he didn’t want to let him get away.
“I was in a bear hug, I was clinging on, I was just holding him, I didn’t want to let him go,” he said.
After Virgo was arrested, Mr. Parker overheard someone telling him he needed to go back to his brother.
“I heard someone say ‘you better get down now,'” he said.
Mr. Parker found his brother surrounded by paramedics.
Despite rescue efforts, Thomas Parker was pronounced dead at 12:40 a.m.
The court was told Mr Parker died of a subarachnoid haemorrhage after being hit, meaning fragile blood vessels near his brain burst and he went into cardiac arrest.
The Virgin will be sentenced on Friday.
Sky news