Richard Deakin Halesowen
Case Information & Details
Richard Deakin, associated with Halesowen, has been involved in at least two significant legal proceedings in the UK.
Current Manslaughter Trial (2025-2026)
Richard Deakin, aged 38 and residing in Moorfield Drive, Halesowen, is currently on trial for the manslaughter of 31-year-old Joshua Johnson-Hector. The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, December 28, 2025, outside the Savanna restaurant and cocktail bar on Bristol Street in Birmingham. Johnson-Hector sustained a serious head injury and died in hospital the following day, Monday, December 29, 2025.
Deakin, who was working as a bouncer at the Savanna bar, was charged with manslaughter and appeared at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, December 30, 2025. He was remanded in custody. The case was then transferred to Birmingham Crown Court for a plea hearing on January 27, 2026. A trial was scheduled to commence at Birmingham Crown Court on June 29, 2026.
During the trial, which began around July 2, 2026, the prosecution alleged that Deakin delivered a "heavy punch" to Johnson-Hector's face, causing him to fall backward and hit his head, leading to fatal brain damage. Deakin's defense claims he acted in self-defense. Deakin stated in a police interview, read to the jury on July 9, 2026, that he was "scared" of Johnson-Hector due to a previous incident at Wireless Festival earlier that year, where he had blocked Johnson-Hector from attempting to "sneak somebody in". Deakin, who had previously been a boxer, claimed he did not intend to knock Johnson-Hector out, but rather to create space.
Previous Conviction (2013)
In March 2013, a man named Richard Deakin from Rowley Regis (a town near Halesowen) was jailed for 16 months at Wolverhampton Crown Court. He admitted to charges of affray, battery, aggravated vehicle taking, witness intimidation, and possession of cocaine and cannabis. The court heard that Deakin had assaulted his ex-girlfriend, grabbed her throat, brandished an air pistol (which was empty of gas), kicked her, and stole her car, which he subsequently crashed. After his arrest, he continued to intimidate her, threatening to kill her parents. He was also disqualified from driving for a year and a restraining order was issued against him.