A 65-YEAR-OLD man died after his head and face were kicked and stamped on in a drunken, violent assault, a jury heard.

Stuart Newton was found with serious head injuries in a flat in Oswaldtwistle on Thursday February 13 2020, but died in hospital the following day.

Nathan Scott Williams, 30, of Mount Pleasant Road, Oswaldtwistle, was charged with his murder, and he appeared at Preston Crown Court on Monday to stand trial.

Prosecuting barrister Andrew Ford told the jury of seven women and five men, how on the evening of February 12, Williams and his partner Nicola Threlfall had been drinking with their next door neighbours, Abigail Newton and Carl McMahon at their home in Worsley Court.

Miss Newton’s father, the victim in the case, Stuart Newton, had arrived at his daughter’s flat around 10pm and had joined in the drinking with the two couples.

Mr Ford said: “A number of trips to Bargain Booze were made but at around 11.30pm the atmosphere changed.

“In his sober state, Carl, who had not been drinking, noticed the atmosphere in the house had changed.

“The others were drunk and this is the flashpoint - it is the belief that in his drunken state Stuart had confused the defendant, Williams, with his son-in-law Carl, and said words to this effect ‘I have brought your children up’.

“The defendant became upset and left the kitchen but was followed by Stuart.

“Moments later Carl, who was upstairs, was heard shouting from outside.

“The defendant was repeatedly shouting ‘I have hit him’."

The jury were told that Miss Newton, Miss Threlfall and Mr McMahon all went outside and found Mr Newton on the floor, face down, covered in blood.

Miss Newton recalls that her father was able to speak and she heard him say “I will get up in a minute”.

Mr Ford said panic ensued and over the next couple of hours Williams, who said Mr Newton had gone to punch him first, left the home.

Mr Newton was dragged into a nearby flat and placed in the recovery position before Mr Newton’s wife Susan arrived and called the paramedics at 1.19am, explaining to the call operator that her husband had ‘fallen’, having been told this by her daughter.

It was heard Williams eventually returned to the flat, and Mr Newton was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Mr Ford continued: “At 4.40am on February 13, Mr Newton was transferred to Royal Preston Hospital’s neuro-surgical unit, such was the gravity of his head injuries.

“The initial report had been that Mr Newton had suffered a fall.

“But at 6.37am a nurse phoned police as she was concerned that the severity of the injuries to the head may not have been consistent with a fall, as an examination had revealed multiple fractures to the face and head in different places.

“By this time they knew his injuries were unsurvivable.”

The jury was told that Mr Newton slipped into a coma and died at 10.47am on February 14.

A post mortem examination gave a cause of death as blunt head trauma.

Mr Ford told the jury: “It was the opinion of pathologist Dr Alison Armour, that these injuries were more likely to have been caused by kicking.

“The fracture to the skull was more consistent with an injury sustained from footwear than punches and is in keeping with stamping to that area of the head.

“The force required to fracture these bones was considerable – he was violently assaulted, punched, stamped on and kicked more than once to the mouth area.”

The jury heard blood from Mr Newton was found on Williams’ trainers.

He was arrested and interviewed, but told police he could not remember what had happened and provided ‘no comment’ answers when the post mortem results were put to him.

Police discovered a text message sent by Williams to a man named John Smith, at around 2.24am on February 13, in which he said: “Mate, I have gone into hiding, please keep it to yourself. I think I have killed Abi’s dad, or put him in a coma, I am going to have to keep hid for a bit.

“Please don’t say anything as people getting told something else and they don’t want anyone else to know.”

Mr Ford added: “Even if Mr Newton had gone to hit Williams first, the violence that Williams went on to inflict was far too excessive and went way over the top to be considered defensive."

(Proceeding)