‘Drunk’ man had fractured skull

Arnold Siddall

HOSPITAL staff ignored a man with a fractured skull because they thought he was drunk.

Arnold Siddall (47), a welder from Failsworth, had in fact hit his head on the ground with a sickening thud after being shoved during a row outside a wine bar.

The mistake emerged during the trial at Manchester Crown Court of Paul Parry (25), of Assheton Road, Newton Heath, who denies manslaughter.

The judge is expected to begin summing up today.

CCTV images revealed Mr Siddall, who lived next door to the Lock wine bar in Oldham Road, had been pushed to the ground by Mr Parry.

He was knocked out but helped at the scene by an off-duty nurse and taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital, where he was assessed as drunk and allowed to leave without seeing a doctor.

At one stage he was arrested by police but collapsed and later died.

It was only when members of Mr Siddall’s family became concerned about the events of that night that police began investigating the incident outside the wine bar.

After first being allowed to leave the hospital, Mr Siddall was monitored on CCTV by security staff and at one stage was seen kneeling on the floor with his hands around his head.

On another occasion he was seen sitting on a wall outside the hospital before rolling to the ground. Mr Siddall was later taken back to hospital after being found slumped outside a house 400 yards away.

He was then assessed as a priority-three patient — meaning a doctor would have to see him within an hour — and put in a cubicle bed.

But security officers were called because he was being disruptive and were given permission to escort him from the hospital.

Mr Siddall was taken out in a wheelchair to a grassed area and was seen on CCTV either lying on the grass or pavement directly outside the hospital.

A passing member of the public was so concerned that staff were again alerted.

Paramedics and police arrived and Mr Siddall was arrested for being drunk and incapable.

He collapsed in a police van and was returned to the hospital where he died two days later.

A report was made to the coroner but police were not told about his death.

Simon Jackson QC, prosecuting, said that when Parry was questioned about the incident, which took place in September, 2007, he claimed he had acted in self-defence.

Mr Jackson said it was the Crown’s case that Parry did not act in self-defence and that his actions were self-evidently dangerous.

The case continues.