Alex Vaill, 23, a Durham University undergraduate, was attacked by a drunken Langley, who was out on licence for a previous assault, outside McDonald’s after refusing to give him some chips.

He was punched unconscious and hit his head fracturing his skull and died four days later in hospital.

Mr Vaill, a talented sportsman and mathematician, was just 23 when he died, the same age as Langley.

He was due to study maths at Durham University and was also planning to marry his girlfriend.

At the magistrates’ court hearing prior to the Old Bailey trial, Langley threatened Mr Vaill’s 18-year-old sister from the dock.

Terry Vaill, Alex’s father, told the Sutton Guardian: “Langley stared at her and mouthed the words ‘You’re next’. It was a terrifying experience for her.”

Following the 1994 trial, Langley’s own barrister said: “Mr Vaill in his short life was a better man than the defendant has ever been or was ever likely to be.”

Langley was released early and served only four years of a five years sentence for the killing.