Court hears of King's Lynn streetfight death
http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp24/de ... 3A36%3A437
A man died from serious head injuries after he was knocked unconscious by a single punch in a fight outside a King's Lynn takeaway following a row over a pizza, a court heard.
Taxi driver Christopher Noble punched 31-year-old Bradley Baker after the two men confronted each other in an alleyway off Norfolk Street, Norwich Crown Court heard.
Mr Baker, who had been working as a subcontractor on the Marks & Spencer store in the town, was knocked unconscious and fell to the floor striking his head.
Christopher Morgan, prosecuting, said Mr Baker suffered a severe head injury and despite being treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital he never regained consciousness and died later that day.
Noble, 26, of Hall Lane, South Wootton, has denied manslaughter on May 6 last year. Another man who was alleged to have been involved in the fight, John Baldwin, 28, of Fuller Close, Mansfield, Notts, has denied affray on the same date.
In his opening speech, Mr Morgan told the jury that the case concerned a fight between Noble and Mr Baker and Baldwin which took place in Paradise Lane in the early hours of May 6 following a disagreement in Flames Takeaway.
Noble told police in interview that he had thrown a piece of pizza towards his friend but it had hit the shirt of one of the customers in the takeaway which was Mr Baker who was there with his work colleague Baldwin.
Mr Morgan said an argument developed and it was suggested that they go outside the shop to sort it out. He said the three men went down an alleyway out of the view of CCTV cameras. Mr Morgan said during the fight, which lasted no more than two minutes, Mr Baker received the fatal punch to the left side of his face.
"It rendered Mr Baker unconscious and he fell to the floor, striking his head."
He said he fractured his skull and suffered a serious head injury from which he never recovered. Mr Morgan said the takeaway chef Ali Tasim had been concerned there might be trouble and had got a girl working in the shop to phone police.
When police and an ambulance arrived they found Mr Baker in the alleyway. Noble had already left the scene.
When interviewed, Noble admitted going down the alleyway with Mr Baker and Baldwin but said he believed it was simply to talk and claimed he had been punched so he punched both men back and had been acting in self defence.
Mr Morgan said: "He is claiming he went down the alleyway simply to talk but the Crown say he went down there to have a fight and knew it was going to be a fist fight."
He added: "The Crown say in this case that self defence does not arise because both these defendants agreed to have a fist fight which is unlawful."
He said Baldwin was concerned in affray as he had agreed to participate in the fight.
The trial continues.
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