On Saturday morning his brothers watched in horror as a single punch allegedly knocked him to the ground and his head hit the Beaumont Street pavement.

He died at the scene.

Jeremy Robert Beasley, 25, of Robert Street, Wickham, has been charged with delivering the blow that killed Mr Newton at Hamilton in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Beasley was refused bail at a special hearing yesterday, and will appear in Newcastle Local Court today charged with manslaughter.

A police statement tendered at yesterday's hearing said Beasley struck Mr Newton once to the face, causing him to fall backwards.

His head hit the concrete with a sickening thud.

"The sound was such that it caused all to stop the scuffle in the street and look at the deceased," the statement said.

Mr Newton's family described yesterday how the calibration technician and part-time drummer had survived a bashing in Newcastle about three years ago.

On that occasion he was left for dead after being attacked by three thugs.

"He was paranoid about going out ever since," his partner, Claire Newman, said.

Mr Newton, 32, who was the drummer for Newcastle band Sideshow Addiction, had been to a concert at Newcastle Panthers with two of his brothers before the group headed to the Exchange Hotel, a police statement tendered to the bail hearing said.

The statement said Beasley and two friends had been shadow boxing with their shirts off outside the hotel when Mr Newton and his brother Geoffrey left.

Police prosecutor Will Thomas told the bail hearing it appeared that "the accused and his group then [sought] out the victim's group".

"It doesn't appear the victim plays a significant role prior to being punched," he said.

The statement said that during an ensuing scuffle, Mr Newton was hit. He died shortly after ambulance paramedics arrived at the scene.

Beasley's solicitor, John Anthony, said the police version of events leading up to Mr Newton's death was in dispute.