London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 04, 2025

Millionaire banking executive killed by stranger after West End phone row

Millionaire banking executive killed by stranger after West End phone row

A millionaire banking executive was killed by a complete stranger in London’s West End in a row over a stolen phone, a court heard.
Paul Mason, 52, had spent the evening socialising at the Ivy Club and was on his way home when he was confronted by Steven Allan.

The Old Bailey heard Allan believed Mr Mason, the CEO for Qatar National Bank, had stolen his friend’s phone and knocked him to the ground with an uppercut punch.

Allan, 34, who had been drinking in various bars, shouted: “Where’s your fight now” as Mr Mason lay on the ground, jurors heard.

Mr Mason suffered brain injuries and died in hospital around six months after the attack, which happened on December 15, 2020.

Allan, from Hook in Hampshire, was traced thanks to CCTV and has admitted manslaughter, but denies the murder charge.

Prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff KC said Mr Mason had just parted company with a friend after a night at the Ivy Club and was walking home when Allan marched across the road and tried to take his phone.

Mr Mason tried to “shrug him off” but Allan then punched him once with his right fist, the court heard.

“The defendant then punched Mr Mason a second time while he was trying to get back to his feet”, said the prosecutor.

“He then punches him a third time with an upper cut that causes Mr Mason to fly back and land on his back with his head hitting the pavement.

“The defendant then appears to take Mr Mason’s phone from him and makes off.

“It appears as if, having appreciated that Mr Mason was lying unconscious on his back on the pavement, the defendant approaches him again and may in fact put back whatever he took.

“Certainly, there is no evidence of any property missing from Mr Mason.”

Registered nurse Laura Gil Selva says she saw Allan shouting at the victim, and when she went to help Mr Mason he told her: “Don’t touch him or help him. You don’t know what he did. He’s kidnapped my nephew.”

Another witness, Vaki Dhaval, claims Allan delivered the punches and said: “Where is your fight now? Show me your fight now.”

The trial continues.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×