Beckton man guilty of manslaughter after step-brother attack

A man killed his “defenceless” step-brother in a brutal attack after seeing him shout racist abuse and make threats on his security camera.

Ross Pallett beat Wayne Potter to death on July 2 last year and has now been convicted of manslaughter.

Police said Pallett, 36, of Newark Knok, Beckton, received a phone alert that Wayne, 39, was outside his home while driving near Blackwall Tunnel, so drove back to confront him.

After arriving, he dragged Wayne into the road and carried out a brutal attack, police said.

Emergency services later found Wayne unresponsive and he was pronounced dead, with the cause of death found as injuries to the head and abdomen.

Det Ch Insp Jo Yorke said: “Pallett attacked Wayne when he was defenceless and inflicted horrendous injuries.

“This incident has caused irreparable damage to the relatives of both men. I am glad that justice has now been served for Wayne Potter.”

READ MORE: ‘Casualty after person hit by train’ causes severe delays to Elizabeth Line’

Pallett was convicted of manslaughter on Friday (May 26) and he will be sentenced on July 7.

Det Ch Insp Yorke said there were 34 injury sites on Wayne’s body and 14 rib fractures.

“When Ross Pallett arrived at the scene the threat posed by his step-brother was over, but he was not prepared to let things rest.”

Wayne’s half sister and her partner arrived at the address before Pallett and had restrained Wayne, who had broken into the house and armed himself with a crutch, but were unable to stop Pallett’s attack.

Pallett kicked, punched and head-butted his step brother, police said, and was arrested and charged a day later.

Witnesses said the wheels on Pallett’s car had been smoking from racing back to the house, police said.

Police found that a part of the security camera footage, which would have shown Pallett’s attack, had been deleted.