The friends and family of a Springside man who “died for £7” are calling for justice.

Samuel Thomson died following a disturbance Madha restaurant, in Glasgow, on December 17.

The 44-year-old business manager was fatally injured on the scene after a man ‘restrained him too hard’ during an altercation but his family have been left reeling after being told no prosecution will be brought in the case.

Samuel, who suffered catastrophic brain damage, was kept on life support for a week but tragically passed away on Christmas Eve surrounded by his friends and partner.

His body was not released to the family until more than a month later.

Now, his family have been told that there will be no further criminal proceedings brought against a man who was arrested and charged by police at the time of the incident.

A close friend of Samuel, Tom McGill, from Ardrossan, is leading the fight for justice.

He said “We don’t want an eye for an eye but we want someone to be held accountable. There has been a crime here, someone has lost their life.

“You drop a bit of litter on the street and you get fined. You take someone’s life and it’s a pat on the back and away you go? That’s not right.”

Samuel, who was born in Ayrshire but spent the last decades of his life in Glasgow, was described as a “gentleman” by those who knew him.

During his life he worked on the Isle of Arran, before moving to Glasgow where he worked for Serco, The Listening Company, and Essentia.

A fundraising page set up to help pay for his funeral raised £1,690 and was inundated with messages of condolence.

His friends described him as a popular and important figure in Glasgow’s LGBT community, echoed by donations to his fundraiser made by the Merchant Pride bar.

Tom added: “From the age of 14, he was supportive to his family, to his parents and sisters.

“Sam was a gentleman. He was the person people would go to for advice and support, including the Glasgow gay scene. He was an active member of gay rights movement.

“That was evident from the amount of people who attended his funeral.

“He was a massive part of our community. A part of us has been taken over £7.

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland confirmed that a 44-year-old man was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary and a 45-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with the disturbance.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “The Procurator Fiscal deals with every case on its own individual facts and circumstances and will take action where there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to do so.

“Following full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of this case, Crown Counsel instructed that there should be no further criminal proceedings.”