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Murder Trial: Victim's injuries caused by 'stamping'

Thu, 19 Mar 2015

A Ballabeg man who had almost every bone in his face broken during an attack in 2013 suffered considerable and repeated blunt force trauma - from someone stamping on him.

That's the opinion of Home Office pathologist Doctor William Lawler who gave evidence at a murder trial at Douglas Courthouse today.

He carried out the post-mortem on 60-year-old Neil Roberts - his body was found at a house on Queen Street in Castletown in the early hours of December 1st.

Jurors were given details, and shown images, of the injuries the gardener sustained both internally and externally - these were to his face, head, neck and body.

Doctor Lawler explained how the entire inside of his face was bruised and almost every rib was fractured - some of them more than once - resulting in a punctured lung.

He said whilst many of the injuries he suffered could, by themselves, prove fatal it was his conclusion that the "very extensive damage" to his pancreas - which had fragmented - had caused his death.

These injuries, he said, were not caused by punching alone and were as a result of "stamping" and "jumping upon" - Mr Roberts would have been lying on the floor and would have still been alive during the attack.

46-year-old Ian Anderson is standing trial accused of murder - he denies the charge.

The trial continues.

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