Dad tells how he found son lying unconscious
AHEARTBROKEN father has described the “traumatic” moment he found his son lying unconscious on the ground after he suffered a fatal blow to the head in a car park.
Michael Rees went straight to the car park near Maesteg Community Hospital after receiving a call from a friend telling him his 24-year-old son Gavin had been knocked out.
Gavin Rees, from Maesteg, never regained consciousness and died three weeks after being hit by Jeffrey Shepherd, who is on trial at Cardiff Crown Court accused of manslaughter. Shepherd denies the charge.
Giving evidence on the fourth day of the trial, Michael Rees said: “It was very traumatic”.
Mr Rees said his son had worked in the scaffolding industry since he was 16 and they ran a scaffolding business together.
The court previously heard Gavin Rees was injured in a collision while riding his motorbike shortly before the incident.
Michael Rees said he knew his son had been in a collision and saw he had a “massive gash” on his arm.
He told the court he noticed Gavin was struggling to stretch his legs right out at work and was sore around his neck.
The court heard that in his police interview, Shepherd told officers Gavin Rees was being “aggressive” towards him, adding: “He swung for me and I hit him once.”
Prosecutors argue Gavin Rees would not have wanted a physical fight, as he was injured from the collision.
David Elias QC, for the defendant, asked Michael Rees about his son’s involvement in white collar boxing.
Michael Rees told the court his son had done a bit of training ahead of a charity boxing event, but it never happened.
Asked about the scene of the incident, he said: “Everyone was speaking together. It was a very chaotic scene, as you can imagine. It was very traumatic.”
His friend Nathan Thomas said he was in the car with his wife taking their children to football training when they recognised Gavin Rees’ pick-up truck parked by the hospital.
He said: “I saw Gavin lying on the floor.”
The court heard one of Gavin Rees’ friends told him: “He hit him.” Mr Thomas said he did not know who that was referring to.
Mr Thomas told the court he called Michael Rees and told him: “Gavin has been knocked out.”
The court heard Mr Thomas’ wife called an ambulance and the witness said there was “a lot of commotion” with 10 or 15 people standing around.
He added: “I stayed there until the ambulance took Gavin.”
Shepherd, 45, who was reported to reside at Dros Col in Llanharry but has since been confirmed to reside at Pen Llys Deri in Llanharry, denies manslaughter.
The trial continues.