Pub landlord kills customer with ironing board

A UK pub landlord has been found guilty of killing a wealthy American customer by pushing him into the path of an on-coming van with an ironing board.

Cardinal Wolsey pub near Hampton Court Palace

Rostam Notarki, 53 of Beech Way in Twickenham, chased Charles Hickox, also 53, out of the Cardinal Wolsey pub near Hampton Court Palace following a dispute over a missing credit card, which had resulted in Hickox shoving Notarki with a tennis racket and then running off.

Carrying an ironing board, Notarki followed Hickox down the street, striking him with the ironing board and propelling him into the path on a van. Mr Hickox suffered significant head injuries, including a fractured skull, and died an hour later.

Hickox, a US citizen that had been living in the UK for some time, was described as eccentric in court and was said to carry with him blue plastic bags containing two tennis racquets and two ornamental mice which he would place in front of him in pubs and talk to. Described as a “drifter” with the appearance of someone who was homeless, Hickox was actually a gambler with access to large amounts of money.

The row had escalated from a dispute over three bottles of wine bought by Hickox at the pub in September. Jurors were told that Notarki had switched the bottles for a cheaper vintage and then ejected Hickox from the bar. When Hickox realised the visa card he used to pay was missing, he went back with a tennis racquet in each hand to demand it back, sparking an altercation that would lead to his death.

Notarki denied the killing, claiming he was acting in self defence after Hickox hit him with a tennis racket, however an Old Bailey jury rejected his claims finding him guilty of manslaughter.