They were probably the last words Daniel Brand heard before he was punched in the face and hit the ground.

“Hey there tough guy,” called Chad Hallett, a man already fortified by alcohol and kicked out of a downtown London bar where he had punched two of Brand’s friends about 15 minutes earlier.

Brand’s friends wouldn’t ever describe him as tough. They called him “the nicest guy,” “a big strong guy” who “never looked for trouble” and who loved his dogs and nature, assistant Crown attorney Peter Rollings said in court Thursday

But on April 14, 2012, during a chance encounter at the corner of Richmond and Carling streets, in what one witness described as “super bad luck”, Hallett’s surprising punch to Brand’s head was enough to knock Brand unconscious and bloody Hallett’s hand.

Brand fell backwards. His head hit the ground with a sickeningly loud thump.

Hallett went on his way down Richmond St., unaware that his life would be forever linked to the 40-year-old London man lying on the ground who would later die in hospital of massive brain trauma.

On Thursday, in front of a courtroom packed on one side with Brand’s loyal friends and family, a quiet sombre Hallett, 27, neatly dressed in a suit, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Brand’s death and to assault causing bodily harm for another punch to David Huffman inside the night club.

Hallett also pleaded guilty to a drug charge laid a month earlier for possessing about $100 in cocaine.

Booze and testosterone, the key ingredients in closing time brawls, were the toxic mix that led to Brand’s death.

Rollings told Ontario Court Justice Kathleen McGowan that Brand and his friends were out that night downtown after playing their last hockey game of the season at the London Ice House.

They hit Winks eatery before heading south to a couple more bars. Brand and three other men ended up in Up On Carling on Carling St.

Hallett had been out at the Beef Baron with his cousin, then went to the bar to meet friends.

It wasn’t clear how everything started but near closing time Hallett, who didn’t know Brand and his friends, “sucker-punched” Huffman, knocking him to the floor and splitting open his lip. Hallett also punched another friend of Brand’s.

Hallett, a regular at the bar, but not usually a problem, was escorted out the front door by the bouncers. He was described as “aggressive with everybody” and “confrontational,” Rollings said.

After Huffman received first aid for his bleeding lip, Huffman, Brand and their two friends were let out a service entrance to Dundas St. to avoid coming into contact with Hallett and his friends.

Huffman and one of the group took a taxi to the hospital while Brand and the other friend walked around the corner and headed north on Richmond St.

Meanwhile, Hallett and his cousin had turned down a ride home and were heading east on Carling St. to Richmond St. to hail a cab.

At the corner was where Hallett and Brand had their fateful encounter. Rollings stressed Hallett hadn’t sought out Brand, but it was pure coincidence they walked into each other.

There were differing recollections of exactly what happened in those few seconds. Brand’s friend told police Brand turned around and was immediately hit twice with a closed fist.

“He (Hallett) knew what he did,” the friend told police, adding there wasn’t any provocation and he didn’t believe Brand even interacted with Hallett in the bar.

Hallett’s friends, some of whom weren’t immediately co-operative with police, said Brand turned and put his hands up “like what do you want?” before he was punched once.

After Brand was on the ground, Hallett and his cousin walked to a nearby pizza shop to find napkins for Hallett’s bleeding hand.

Brand was taken to hospital and later that day died of acute head and brain injury. A paramedic believed the punch caused Brand to become unconscious before he fell and hit the back of his head, fracturing his skull and causing his brain to swell.

Brand’s organs were donated.

Hallett didn’t find out until the next day that Brand had died. Hallett’s girlfriend told him when she heard police were looking for him. He ended up at a friend’s home sobbing and “freaked out,” saying he was disappointed in himself and the death “shouldn’t have happened.”

Hallett called police and was arrested at a friend’s home. Before he was led away, officers saw him sitting on a curb, sobbing, while speaking to his girlfriend’s mother.

Hallett’s defence lawyer Michael Barry said his client is “genuinely remorseful. The unanticipated and absolutely unintended result of this completely shocked and devastated my client,” he said.

Hallett has “no propensity for violence” and has one previous drug conviction from six years ago, Barry said.

“These people were strangers,” he stressed, adding it was “a random reconnection” that turned deadly.

A pre-sentence report was ordered and Hallett remains out on bail. His sentencing was scheduled for April 10.

jane.sims@sunmedia.ca

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