A man has admitted killing a teenager in a Walton street.

Mark Brewer punched 18-year-old Dominic Barritt during an incident in Walton High Street last August.

When he fell, the teenager hit the back of his head on the ground and died later in hospital, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

Brewer, 22, had denied a charge of murdering Mr Barritt at an earlier hearing and the case was listed for a trial next spring.

However, he returned to court yesterday and admitted a charge of manslaughter and his plea was accepted by the prosecution.

Sentence was adjourned for reports and to assess if Brewer is a danger to the public.

THE family of Dominic Barritt, who died after being punched in the face in Walton, described him as a “hero and gentleman”.

The 18-year-old man, from Harwich Road, Little Clacton, sustained serious head injuries outside the Food and Drink Store, Walton High Street, shortly after 2am on August 23.

He died at Romford’s Queens Hospital on August 25.

In a family statement, Dominic’s grandparents Carol and Ron Barritt, and his mother Sam, said: “Our darling Dominic was violently taken from us. Our hearts are broken and they will never ever mend."