Jury still out in death push trial

ALBERT SIDDALL

THE jury in the trial of a man accused of killing a 47-year-old welder with a single push were continuing their deliberations at Manchester Crown Court today.

Paul Parry (25), of Assheton Road, Newton Heath, denies the manslaughter of Arnold Siddall, whose skull was fractured when he hit the ground with a sickening thud following a disagreement outside a Failsworth bar.

The court had been told that Parry had been drinking with his brother-in-law Filipo Silvestre in the Lock wine bar in Oldham Road on September 22 last year.

At around 1.30am, a doorman told Parry to leave the bar and a group gathered outside.

Mr Siddall, who had also been drinking in the bar, was one of the people who were standing outside, and witnesses described him as being drunk.

Filipo began to challenge the doorman’s decision to turf Parry out, saying that Siddall was more drunk than his brother-in-law was. Mr Siddall, who lived next door to the wine bar, then got involved and an argument broke out between him and Filipo, with one of the doormen moving between the pair to stop a fight breaking out.

Soon afterwards, Parry pushed Mr Siddall to the ground, with one witness describing a loud clapping sound as Mr Siddall’s head hit the pavement.

Mr Siddall then lay unconscious on the ground for around six minutes and an ambulance arrived soon after.

Medical experts later said that it is very common for victims of brain damage to have a lucid interval soon after regaining consciousness.

Parry claims that Mr Siddall was shouting and being aggressive while they were outside and he was worried that a fight would start, so he pushed Mr Siddall away because he wanted to stop any trouble and get him out of the way.

The prosecution alleges that the actions of Parry were self-evidently dangerous and that he pushed Mr Siddall with such force that his legs left the ground.

But Parry had told the court he never intended to hurt Mr Siddall and was upset when he found out what had happened to him.

Defence counsel, Guy Gozem QC, had also argued that Mr Siddall may have carried on drinking after the incident and could have suffered another fall which had caused his fatal injuries.

But a blood sample taken from Mr Siddall between 5.30 and 6.30pm that afternoon detected no alcohol in his system.

And pathologists confirmed they only found one major injury on Mr Siddall’s skull.

One medical expert said: “The initial fall could have caused everything.”

Serious concerns were also raised as to the amount of time it took for staff at the Royal Oldham Hospital to diagnose and treat Mr Siddall but Judge, Mr Justice Openshaw, reminded jurors that any alleged medical negligence which may or may not have occurred does not provide a defence for manslaughter.