Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Road rage ‘killer KO’
Motorist felled drink-driver with single blow after his van was clipped, court told
A MOTORIST tracked down and killed a drink-driver with one blow in a road rage attack after his van had been clipped, a court heard.
Oliver Brown, 21, allegedly hit Stephen Walsh when he answered his door and “knocked him out cold”. The victim went to bed and his fiancee found him dead the next day, jurors were told yesterday.
A postmortem revealed the dad-of-two died of a bleed on the brain caused by head injuries including a fractured skull and jaw.
Earlier Brown had been in his Vauxhall Astra van when Stephen, 37, veered into his path and clipped it.
Instead of stopping, the alleged victim drove home and started to watch an episode of Love Island with his fiancee. The couple had been at a christening and Stephen insisted on driving home despite drinking all evening, the court heard.
Brown scoured local streets until he spotted Stephen’s Lexus outside their home in Mapperley, Notts.
Prosecutor Sarah Knight told jurors yesterday: “They hadn’t been in long when there was a knock at the door. It was Oliver Brown. He was angry that his vehicle had been clipped and he had been determined to find the person who had done it. He was pumped up. He wouldn’t let the situation lie.
“The blow the impact caused, by Mr Walsh’s head falling to the ground, caused fractures to his skull and jaw. These led to a bleed on the brain that would tragically kill him just a few hours later.”
After hitting Stephen, Brown “instantly knew he had done far too much”, jurors were told. He picked him up and carried him to his sofa.
Moments later, the court heard, Brown sent girlfriend Roseanne Newton at text saying: “I really hope he’s not brain-damaged.” Double glazing fitter Brown, of Ingoldmells, Lincs, claims Mr Walsh lunged at him and he acted in self-defence. He has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter.
Newton, 21, denies assisting an offender. The trial at Nottingham crown court continues.