'Alright girls, I just smashed someone up': Thug, 33, accused of killing Strictly Come Dancing lighting man with a single punch then running off to boast about the attack

Lighting expert Paul Gunner had been celebrating his 32nd birthday
He was fatally attacked outside a kebab shop in Bexley, south east London
Ben Worden, 33, denies murder, claiming a friend attacked Mr Gunner

PUBLISHED: 13:33 EST, 13 September 2012 | UPDATED: 06:33 EST, 14 September 2012

A thug killed a member of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing production team with a single punch before boasting: 'I've just smashed someone up,’ a court heard today.

Ben Worden attacked lighting expert Paul Gunner, who had been celebrating his 32nd birthday, outside a kebab shop after 'taking exception' when Mr Gunner knocked on the window, a jury was told.

In an act of 'thuggish behaviour that had the most tragic consequences,' Mr Gunner died after cracking his head on the pavement when Worden delivered the fatal blow, the court heard.

Lighting expert Paul Gunner had been celebrating his 32nd birthday when he was attacked outside a kebab shop in Bexley, south east London

The jury was told Worden, 33, and two pals then ran off leaving his victim for dead, and bragged to some girls: 'I've just beaten someone up. Look at my knuckles!'

Mr Gunner, who also worked on BBC2 pop music quiz show Never Mind The Buzzcocks, never regained consciousness after the incident in Bexley, south east London, and was pronounced dead an hour later.

Worden handed himself into a police station the next day, but claimed it was a friend who attacked Mr Gunner.

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Timothy Cray, prosecuting, told Inner London Crown Court: 'We suggest all the evidence will show that this defendant murdered a man he didn’t even know during an unnecessary attack.

'This wasn’t a fight, it was a beating, putting a man down who was effectively defenceless.

'Although he may regret it now, in the seconds that mattered, this defendant, in drink and anger, intended to hurt Paul Gunner and hurt him badly, and that is exactly what he did.'

CCTV pictures in the Bexley Charcoal Grill kebab shop shop shortly before Paul Gunner was attacked

Mr Cray added: 'Shortly before 1am in the early hours of Sunday October 16, 2011, this defendant, Ben Worden, was coming to the end of a long night's drinking in Bexley Village.

'He was at the local kebab shop when, for the first and only time in his life, he came across Paul Gunner, a 32-year-old man who had also been out in Bexley.

'Saturday October 15 was Mr Gunner’s birthday and he had spent the evening with his brother Michael and a group of his friends celebrating.

'Up to that point there is no suggestion that Mr Gunner or anyone else in his group had caused any trouble or done anything to draw attention to themselves.

The parents of Paul Gunner, Peter and Andrea, at Inner London Crown Court as they attended the trial of Ben Worden

'Paul Gunner had already got his takeaway. He began to knock on the window of the restaurant to tell his brother where he was or to hurry up. The defendant decided to take exception to Mr Gunner and spoke to him about banging on the window.

'A brief argument then developed between them which almost unbelievably led to the defendant attacking and killing Paul Gunner, who was a complete stranger to him.'

The prosecutor said witnesses saw Worden land 'heavy blows' on Mr Gunner at least twice outside Bexley Charcoal Grill kebab shop.

He continued: 'The first punch knocked Mr Gunner to the ground. The defendant then walked away across the road and at that moment in time, he had more than taken care of himself. In fact he was telling Mr Gunner to sit down meaning, "stay down".

'Unfortunately Mr Gunner, who was now dazed, got himself up and started to follow the defendant.

'Rather than just ignore Mr Gunner or walk away and leave the scene, this defendant decided to hit him again.

'In the second part of the attack he delivered a punch that was hard enough to knock Mr Gunner out cold and cause terrible head injuries as he went back, his head cracking against the road surface.

'Despite emergency medical attention, Mr Gunner never came round and he was pronounced dead just over an hour later at 2.26am.'

Mr Cray told the court Worden could have easily walked away rather than hitting Mr Gunner a second time.

He said: 'Despite having laid out Mr Gunner, including seeing and hearing his head hit the pavement, he made no attempt to stay and help the injured man. Instead, he fled from the scene with two friends who he had been drinking with that evening.

'Far from showing concern or remorse, his attitude moments afterwards was to boast about what he had done.

'He was pleased with himself. Once he had got away from the immediate vicinity, he saw some girls and said something like, "Alright girls, I've just smashed someone up- or beaten someone up- look at my knuckles".

'He held up the hand he had used to kill Paul Gunner.

'In all, his actions amounted to thuggish behaviour, random street violence that had the most tragic consequences.'

Worden, of Welling, south east London, denies murder.

The trial continues.