A nightclub bouncer from Birmingham who was working towards a law degree has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for killing a construction worker with a single punch to the head.

Mohammed Waqar, 22, pleaded guilty last month to the manslaughter of Simon Bampton, who was assaulted in Bristol on August 19 last year.

Outside Bristol Crown Court, Mr Bampton’s partner, Natasha Matthews, tearfully branded Mr Justice Jack’s sentence “a joke”.

Mr Bampton, 21, a construction worker from Southampton, suffered a brain haemorrhage after his head snapped back from a single punch, the court heard.

He was walking through the city centre with his friend Kevin Prescott after a night drinking, trying to find the Premier Inn hotel where they were staying, at about 2.30am.

Waqar, from Stratford Road, Sparkhill, had finished his doorman’s shift at Lloyds Bar and was driving along Marsh Street with his colleague Perry Cook when he saw the men in the road.

When sentencing Waqar, Justice Jack accepted evidence that Mr Bampton and his friend had been abusive and one of them had used racist language before an altercation ensued.

Prosecutor Fiona Elder told the court: “Mr Cook described the defendant as unusually upset. The two men (Bampton and Prescott) moved towards the back of the car, one said they were only asking for directions to the hotel, in some way of trying to make up for the aggressive behaviour. The defendant had an opportunity to drive away but instead got out of the car.

“The defendant raised his right arm and hit the left side of his (Mr Bampton’s) face.

“Mr Bampton stumbled and collapsed to the ground.”

Waqar returned to the car and drove back to Birmingham, unaware he had dealt Mr Bampton a fatal blow. A pathologist’s report concluded the artery in his neck was torn as a result of the quick snap of his head when he was struck by Waqar. The alcohol in Mr Bampton’s body may have caused his blood vessels to loosen, contributing to the injury, the court heard.

Handing in a victim impact statement from Mr Bampton’s partner Miss Matthews, Ms Elder told the court the couple “were in an extremely happy relationship together”.

At the time of the attack 6ft 4in Waqar, who appeared in court wearing glasses and a brown fleece, had completed the first year of a civil engineering course at Birmingham City University and was in the process of transferring to a law degree.

Defending, Jonathan Gosling said his client took “full responsibility” for Mr Bampton’s death.

He said: “Mr Waqar is now 22, and prior to this incident had never come to the attention of the police, and had led a decent, hard-working life.”

Mr Gosling went on: “It’s an incident which has the label of road rage. The defendant must pay the price today for leaving the car. But he was not out that night for gratuitous violence.

“Mr Cook reports that Mr Waqar ordinarily acts with restraint and without aggression.”

Gosling said Waqar had voluntarily written a letter to Mr Bampton’s family, expressing his “deep remorse”.