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Kamlesh Ruparelia

Age: 55

Sex: male

Date: 1 Nov 2011

Place: White Rose Pub, Handsworth Road, Sheffield

Kamlesh Ruparelia was punched in the face in the White Rose Pub on Handsworth Road, Sheffield on 28 October 2010 at around 10pm and died four days later on 1 November 2011.

A man was charged with manslaughter but the prosecution offered no evidence and the case was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service who said there was no realistic prospect of a conviction after new evidence was found that undermined their case and the man was found not guilty.

Kamlesh Ruparelia had been in the White Rose pub when he was punched during a row over a racist comment made by another man. He was taken to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield suffering from head injuries where he died.

It was said that the man that had punched him had initially admitted that he had snapped and lashed out at Kamlesh Ruparelia but later said that he had hit him in self-defence.

Kamlesh Ruparelia's family criticised the Crown Prosecution Service's decision to drop the case saying that they thought that a jury should have had the opportunity to consider the evidence and return a verdict.

The South Yorkshire Police had pursued 121 separate lines of inquiry and taken 46 witness statements.

CCTV footage was found but there was a five-second lapse in coverage during which period the man had punched Kamlesh Ruparelia.

At his inquest, the Coroner returned a narrative verdict but noted that he was in a dilemma as he was not able to make findings that were in contradiction with the outcome of earlier Crown Court proceedings.

Kamlesh Ruparelia had been in the White Rose pub with a friend celebrating the friend’s birthday at the time. They had been there since 5.30pm and had later been playing pool with a group of women when at around 10pm a man that was near him was said to have made a racist remark regarding the ladies that were playing pool with Kamlesh Ruparelia and his friend, asking why they were playing with them. It was said that Kamlesh Ruparelia then stood up and the man punched him and Kamlesh Ruparelia then fell to the floor. After punching Kamlesh Ruparelia, the man then went to the toilet.

The police said that when the man was arrested he initially admitted hitting Kamlesh Ruparelia, but during a second interview he exercised his right to silence and then later on he claimed that he had hit Kamlesh Ruparelia in self-defence.

Kamlesh Ruparelia was initially from Uganda. He ran a number of businesses including a takeaway and two supermarkets.


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