Men deny meningitis manslaughter

The three defendants deny killing Stephen Coleman

Three men are being tried for manslaughter at Bristol Crown Court after a man they allegedly beat contracted meningitis from his injuries.

Stephen Coleman, 39, died on 2 January 1999 after contracting meningitis through fractures in his nose and eye sockets, said prosecutor Nicholas Atkinson QC.

All three defendants, Joseph Hopkins, Jonathan Witts and his older brother Clive, deny manslaughter.

He was...beaten by the defendants. No doubt they did not mean to kill him but no doubt it led to his death.

Nicholas Atkinson QC

The court heard that Mr Coleman, a building contractor, had been celebrating the end of a contract with two colleagues three days before Christmas.

Mr Coleman left the Bristol Hotel in Gloucester to get a Chinese take away, and was attacked by three men.

Mr Atkinson said "he was set upon in Gloucester and beaten by the defendants. No doubt they did not mean to kill him but no doubt it led to his death."

"He was knocked to the ground and blows were delivered," he said.

Father of three Mr Coleman refused to go to hospital after the attack and the next day he returned to his home in Bedfordshire for Christmas.

On 23 December he became unwell and a scan taken at a hospital in Bedford revealed he had a fractured nose and eye sockets.

He was eventually admitted to Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge with meningitis on 27 December, and died there on 2 January.

The post mortem examination revealed the cause of death was meningitis.

Mr Atkinson said: "The meningitis arose as a direct consequence of the access of bacteria from the nose to the brain, due to the presence of the fracture in the bridge of the nose and both eye sockets."

The case continues.