Attacked pensioner ‘choked on his blood’

Geoffrey Bradburn, 71, was likely to have been unconscious face down and not in a position to clear the blood from his airway, pathologist Jennifer Bolton told Leeds Crown Court.

She identified 17 external areas of injury to the pensioner’s head and he also had two fractures to his right cheekbone as a result of a heavy blunt force such as a kick, stamp or very forceful punch.

Those injuries would have required a minimum of 13 blows.

In addition Mr Bradburn had a number of rib fractures, some of which could have been caused in efforts to resuscitate him but some could also have been caused in the assault.

Wayne Moffitt, 39, of Minden Way, Pontefract, denies the murder of Mr Bradburn of Horsefair, Pontefract, on April 6 this year.

The prosecution claim Moffitt twice attacked Mr Bradburn. In the first assault he is said to have punched him, knocking him to the ground, before kicking him and leaving him unconscious, and after the pensioner came round he was then allegedly pulled into an alley and subjected to further violence.

Tahir Khan QC, defending Moffitt, told Dr Bolton there was an issue over how many of the injuries were caused in the first incident.

“It is the defendant’s case having carried out the assault in the Shoe Market area what happened between him and Mr Bradburn in the alley was no more than a scuffle taking place between them, arms flailing, but he denies throwing any punches or causing any serious injuries.”

Dr Bolton said she had not seen the CCTV footage of the first incident so could not comment on how many blows landed then but it had been described to her that there were less than 13. “Given that there are 13 areas that represent blows to the head alone there must have been more than a scuffle in the alleyway to account for those additional areas of bruising to the head.”

Earlier Sharon Darnborough described in a recorded video seeing her brother Moffitt punch and then kick Mr Bradburn. She had previously gone out with the pensioner and said she had told her brother he had punched her some years earlier.

The trial continues.