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A teenager who killed a man with a single punch before going to a friend's house to play computer games has been convicted of murder.

Eden Lomax, 17, from Bolton, punched Simon Mitchell, 43, with such force that a witness described him falling over "like the minute hand moving from 12 o'clock to three o'clock".

He delivered the killer blow at the very moment Simon outstretched his arm to shake his hand.

Lomax was found guilty of murder following trial at Manchester Crown Court, Crown Square. He will be sentenced on 9 December.

The youngster had already pleaded guilty to two other unprovoked assaults in which he'd punched two other men just yards away from where he landed the fatal blow in Bolton town centre.

In the first incident, on the night of Friday, 7 June, Lomax punched a 31-year-old man with learning difficulties in the face as stood at a bus stop on Blackfriars Street.

The victim, who was knocked to the floor and remained unconscious for some minutes, was fortunate to escape without serious injury.

He struck again four days later, this time punching a drunken 41-year-old man without warning after they struck up a conversation, again on Blackfriars Street.

He punched him once in the face with such force the victim fell backwards through the open doors of a waiting bus, leaving him dazed and incapacitated on the floor.

Lomax even joked, telling the bus driver "I think he wants an Adult Day Saver" before running off.

"Again, through good fortune, the victim did not suffer any serious harm.

Both incidents were captured on CCTV and the jury were able to see the force and dramatic consequences of Lomax's attacks.

(Image: Cavendish)

Lomax was to strike for a third time on Friday 14 June when he crossed path with Simon. This would be his third attack within the space of a week.

Simon, had recently been made redundant and was given £200 cash by his brother who felt sorry for him. He had arranged to meet up with an old friend and they went into Bolton town centre for a drink to cheer him up, visiting several pubs.

By 9pm Simon, who was quite drunk and alone, made his way through Victoria Square in Bolton Town Centre where he encountered Lomax and his friends.

They frequented the town centre in the evenings, meeting up to chat and drink alcohol.

Lomax was again in an aggressive mood and had already threatened to punch two other intoxicated men who had walked by that night, only being stopped by his friends who had restrained him.

As Simon walked by he began speaking with the group, depressed and down on his luck he became maudlin, and opened up about his life and his troubles.

Lomax however was still brewing for trouble and was not up for listening to Simon, telling him to change the subject.

All his friends could see he was getting increasingly agitated and sensed he was going to attack Simon, repeatedly moving him away from Simon, but Lomax was having none of it and said he was going to "bomb him" a reference to his surprise heavy handed punch that he knew carried the force to knock people out.

Simon offered his hand in friendship several times to try and diffuse the tension, but the boy told him he would "bomb him" if he didn't go away.

Simon asked, "what's a bomb?" and with that the Lomax punched him in the face with such force that it fractured his jaw. He fell horizontally backwards, hitting his head on the pavement.

Seeing him unconscious and clearly seriously injured some of the offender's friends went to Simon's aid and called an ambulance whilst the defendant walked off and went to a friend's house to play on computer games.

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Meanwhile police and paramedics battled to save Simon's life but he was pronounced dead at the scene, having suffered devastating brain injuries.

Police arrested Lomax two days later. He told officers he had acted in self-defence.

Detective Chief Inspector Pete Jackson, of the Major Incident Team, said: "Simon lost his life at the hands of a young thug, who was driven by aggression and pent-up violence and revelled in the fact that he could knock vulnerable people unconscious with a single punch, which he referred to as his 'bomb'.

"Like all cowards and bullies he targeted people who he knew could not defend themselves or fight back. Twice in the previous week he had knocked vulnerable men to the ground with a single punch for no reason whatsoever.

"It is was tragic way for Simon's evening to end. It has left his father and family devastated. My thoughts are with them and I hope that the justice delivered today will provide some comfort to them.

"I hope this incident serves as a timely reminder of the real dangers to life involved when people throw a punch. Too many people have lost their lives in such incidents. I would urge people to think before they ever contemplate throwing a punch, you could cost someone their life and spend the rest of your own in a prison cell."