A killer who caused his boss a "catastrophic" brain injury that led to his death nearly 11 years later evaded capture for five years by using a fake name.

Arjan Balla, 41, was wanted for half a decade after the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges of manslaughter against him in December 2019. 

He had previously been sentenced for grievous bodily harm for the attack on his former boss, Anastassios Delis in 2006 at Southampton. 

He was deported to his native Albania after just one year in prison. At the time he was using the alias Tahir Karaj. 

But after Mr Delis' death in December 2017, it was determined that injuries sustained in the initial attack were to blame and a new case was opened. 

READ MORE: Man dies 11 years after being punched in Southampton as killer jailed

Enquiries with the Albanian authorities through Interpol to locate him were initially unsuccessful but on January 23, 2024, following enquiries by Hampshire police, the National Crime Agency, Interpol and the Albanian authorities, they confirmed his real name.

Enquiries also established Balla was booked to return to the UK on a flight to Stanstead Airport just three days later.

When the plane from Albania landed Balla was arrested – with his fingerprints and DNA confirming they had the right man.

Balla was sentenced to 12 months at Southampton Crown Court on Monday. 

Daily Echo: Police at the scene of the assault in Queensway, SouthamptonPolice at the scene of the assault in Queensway, Southampton (Image: NQ)

Anthony Johns, Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS Wessex, said: “This was an incredibly tragic case, spanning nearly two decades and involving organisations across the criminal justice system and our international partners in Europe.

“While Mr Delis remained alive for 11 years after the attack he did not regain consciousness, robbing him and his loved ones of a future together.

“Once it became clear that Mr Delis died as a direct result of Balla’s actions, we were determined to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law and demonstrate that neither time nor evasion will prevent justice being served.

“The strength of our case meant that Balla had no alternative but to plead guilty, sparing the family of Mr Delis the process of a criminal trial.

"They are undoubtedly the living victims of what Balla did that day in 2006, and I hope today’s sentence can help them move forward with their lives.”