My husband turned to me and said ‘this is the best day of my life’… 15 minutes later he died in my arms – and his killer only got five years in prison: Widow of father killed by Sainsbury’s queue-jumper tells of her fury at Britain’s soft justice

Andrew Clarke had just watched his beloved Newcastle United win their first ever trophy when he declared to his wife and daughter that it was the best day of his life.

But just 15 minutes later he went to the local Sainsbury’s to buy food for Sunday dinner; A chance encounter with a rude, tail-jumping stranger here would cost him his life.

Today, after that stranger, Demiesh Williams, admitted killing Andrew, his widow spoke of her devastation at having her partner of 23 years brutally taken from her and her anger at the judicial system, which she said was anything but letting her killer get away with impunity.

From the family home, Cairistine Clark told the Daily Mail exclusively: ‘We will carry the loss of Andrew for the rest of our lives but his killer will be back in his life within three years. ‘Justice was not served.’

Scornful of his victim, Williams, 30, reacted angrily when he challenged Andrew to get ahead of others in the queue at a grocery store in the south London suburb of Beckenham.

Andrew, the loving father of their only child, 14-year-old Rose, died in hospital three days later.

Ms Clark, who met commodities trader Andrew while working in the city 23 years ago, spoke to the Daily Mail at the family home, just five minutes from where he was fatally attacked.

He told us: ‘The court case was an incredibly devastating day for our family. Justice was not served. There is no justice for a life taken.

‘He won’t even serve three years in prison. It’s two Christmases today and he’ll be out. He will be 32 when he gets out. And this is definitely a joke.

‘What message does this sentence send to violent criminals? We will carry this loss for the rest of our lives.

‘Still he [Williams] will return to him. This is something I cannot understand and cannot accept.

‘Sentences must reflect the seriousness of the offence. If this can happen to us, an ordinary family, it can happen to you too.’

Mrs Clark, now a teacher’s assistant, witnessed her husband’s death just 15 minutes after watching Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup victory over Liverpool at home on March 16.

She said: ‘Andrew said to me, ‘This is the best day of my life.’ He posted a photo in his Newcastle shirt in the family group chat. He was very happy.

‘We went to the shop to buy some food and then he died.

‘We were doing what millions of families do, going out to buy milk and bread. This is it.

‘We were an ordinary, hard-working family and we were going about our lives.’

Inside the store, Williams moved to the front of the queue, allowing Mr Clark to challenge him.

Williams, of nearby Purley, became aggressive and threatened to ‘take her out’ before leaving the store and returning to his car.

Miss Clark said: ‘I remember thinking you were scaring him by standing there.

‘It was huge. ‘He could barely fit into the corridor and I felt uncomfortable before anything was said.’

He said Andrew’s loud voice alarmed him because it was so out of character.

‘Andrew was never confrontational,’ he said. ‘When I heard your voice I knew something wasn’t right.’

Mrs Clark said Williams repeatedly threatened her husband in front of other horrified customers and staff.

He said: ‘The killer said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take him out.’ He said this more than once. People heard about it. ‘It wasn’t thin.’

He deliberately delayed leaving the store because he was afraid of a confrontation outside.

‘I acted like I needed to buy more things. “I was trying to keep us inside because I was really afraid he would wait,” she said.

But a few minutes after going outside, the mother saw Williams walking towards them wearing a black face covering.

He said: ‘I saw this thing moving determinedly towards us. His eyes were dark and full of anger. And then – spanking. It looked like a crack. ‘Like a gunshot.’

CCTV showed the moment bus driver Williams turned back to carry out the attack.

The killer struck Mr. Clark with his open hand, causing him to fall backwards and hit his head.

The father never regained consciousness and died in hospital three days later.

“People keep talking about it being ‘just a slap’,” Ms Clark said. ‘But I saw the scans. I saw the damage. He killed with his bare hands.

‘I was just a few steps behind him. I saw everything. I heard everything. And then he left.”

While Mr Clark was seriously injured, Williams fled the scene with his young child still in his car.

The grieving mother couldn’t hold back her tears and said: ‘I held him, I’m sure he died in my arms.

‘HE [Williams] I just ran. He didn’t look back. He didn’t check. ‘He just left.’

The case was scheduled to go to trial, but Williams pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter.

At sentencing, Ms Clark said her pain was exacerbated by what she described as a lack of apology from Williams and disrespect from the defendant’s family.

He said: ‘He didn’t say a word to us. No apology. No confirmation. Just silence.

‘Members of his family were grinning. ‘It was an insult to our pain to listen to the man who killed my husband only to be sentenced to five years and three months in prison.’

He said his family eventually left the court before the judge finished speaking.

Ms Clark said: ‘We couldn’t sit there any longer, it was so humiliating. It was very painful.”

At the hearing at Woolwich Crown Court, Judge Andrew Lees made the mistake of mixing up Mr Clark’s name in his closing speech.

Ms Clark said: ‘Even Andrew’s name and key details of the case were misstated. The judge named him Ryan.

‘After waiting a full week hoping he would take the time to think and understand the gravity of what was happening, hearing about these mistakes was like being shot again.

‘We expected integrity, dignity and respect.

‘Instead, it felt like we were in a process where no one really saw the people at the center of it – papers being moved, boxes being ticked.

‘We felt invisible throughout the process and whenever we raised our voices we were told ‘it was the law’.

‘The law as it stands is not enough, there must be stricter penalties for taking lives and I will campaign to make this happen.’

Under the current system, Williams can be released after serving two-thirds of his sentence (just three years).

Ms. Clark said. ‘This is only three years. Three years to take a life.”

‘Sentences need to be stronger because people will reoffend.

‘If you know you’re going to kill someone and get three and a half years in prison, that’s not going to stop people committing violence.

‘Rose is now growing up without her father. She was his everything.

‘He was a generous, loving husband and father to our beloved Rose. It was also very appreciated by our entire community.

‘He was easy to talk to, kind and generous. He gave his time, his attention, his love.

‘He spent a lot of time with our local butchers, the craft beer shop across the road, estate agents; Everyone knew him because he was so kind and generous and had time for everyone.

‘He made time for everyone and that’s the big thing about Andrew; he was so selfless, so caring, so patient and generous, he had such a very kind nature and he doesn’t deserve this.

‘Andrew doesn’t deserve this. But equally, other families do not deserve this because we are innocent victims.

‘His death changed everything. Every moment of our lives is changing.

‘It’s like a living nightmare. Everything has changed. Every part of our lives is changed by an act of callous violence. This is incredibly unfair.’

In the days after his death, their home was filled with hundreds of flowers and cards from friends and mourners.

He said as Christmas approaches, the absence is felt more acutely than ever.

Now there’s a sock missing from the fireplace.

Mrs Clark, who plans to meet with the Crown Prosecution Service to address her concerns, recalled the man who took her husband saying: ‘Well… no year is enough for Andrew’s life… three and a half years in custody for the murder of my husband is an absolute insult to all our family, all our friends and the wider community. This is an insult.

‘How is my husband’s life worth just three and a half years of detention? Something needs to change.

‘We have a system that prioritizes criminals over victims.

‘We were told over and over again, ‘This is the law,” he said. ‘But laws are written by people. And laws can be changed.

‘We didn’t do anything wrong. Yet we were made to feel like we were the problem, like we were being judged.’

‘We live in a society where violence increases and responsibility decreases.

‘We don’t just speak for ourselves. But for every family that this system fails.

‘We cannot remain silent. Change must come because no family should have to stand where we stand now.’

In her statement to the court, the couple’s daughter said Williams ‘destroyed’ her family in the ‘most cruel way possible’.

In the statement read to the court by his aunt, he said: ‘My father was not just my father. He was my best friend. ‘We did everything together.’

He called out to the murderer and said: ‘You did this to my father. My father was the most generous man I knew. I don’t want to live my life without him.

‘You must keep your own family while you destroy mine in the most brutal way.’

The surprisingly short sentence given to Williams sparked widespread public outcry.

Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick described it as ‘inconsequential’.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Jenrick said: ‘Williams committed a terrible crime and yet the prison sentence he received is paltry.

‘A five-year prison sentence, further reduced under the early release plan, is not justice. ‘I am writing a letter to the Attorney General requesting that this matter be reconsidered.’

The Daily Mail understands Mr Jenrick will appeal Williams’ sentence.