THe boss of an offshore firm has been found guilty of killing his friend with a single blow following a drunken row.

Michael Halliday delivered the fatal punch when the pair squared up outside a pub after they clashed during a night out.

The pair became embroiled in a dispute after Antony Robinson blew all of his money on the slot machines in The Roundel pub in Thornaby last September, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Today, jurors returned a verdict of guilty to a charge of manslaughter after a week-long trial.

Following a verbal confrontation, Halliday pushed Mr Robinson off a bar stool before storming out of the pub, the court heard.

Mr Robinson, known as Anto, followed him outside and another confrontation took place which left him knocked out cold and he later died following the violent incident.

The pair had been drinking for several hours, along with Halliday’s son Jacob, before the short-lived violence erupted.

The 40-year-old maintained that he had acted in self defence and hadn't realised the devastating impact it had on his friend of 20 years.

Halliday, of Dresser Lane, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, will be sentenced tomorrow.