A business development manager has been jailed for three years for killing another man with a single punch after a prank.

Alexander Thomson, 32, broke down when he received the sentence. 

Thomson was on a night out on August 25 with the victim when he punched Thomas Hulme, 23, in the head because he had thrown Thomson’s shoe out the window of their Uber cab.

Mr Hulme, of Tooting, collapsed when he got out of the cab in Farringdon Street after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

His friends performed CPR at the scene; he was then taken to hospital but died the following evening.

Thomson, from Clapham, was arrested and charged with manslaughter, which he admitted on January 6.

The judge said the case differed from those "involving gratuitous unprovoked street violence".

He said: "A talented and intelligent young man had a promising life snatched away from him in early adulthood after you lashed out at him in a moment of drunken hot temper.

"You must live with that responsibility."

Members of the victim's family said their lives have been "submerged in sadness and sorrow" since the tragedy. 

Speaking after the sentence, Thomas Hulme’s family said: "As a family, we are still in disbelief. Our devastating loss means we are now living life with immense sadness.

"We no longer have the future we imagined and Tom does not have the life he planned and dreamed of. We miss Tom so much."

Detective Inspector Sam Toprak from the City of London Police Major Crime Team said: "The two men were friends and had been enjoying a night out when, what started as a prank, ended in tragedy.

"This was a senseless act that has left Thomas Hulme’s family understandably devastated.

"While nothing will change what has happened I hope that today’s sentence will go some way to bring them some closure on this heart-breaking time."

When he admitted manslaughter in January, the court heard the defendant had issues with alcohol.

His lawyer Lisa Wilding QC said he had "matters recorded against him" in the past.

Thomson will serve half the sentence before being released on licence.