Jury retires in Coulsdon murder trial (From Your Local Guardian)

Jury retires in Coulsdon murder trial

3:06pm Wednesday 8th February 2012 in Top Stories By James Pepper

The jury at the Old Bailey have retired to decide whether or not Peter Attwell killed his cousin with a breeze block.

Attwell, 32, is accused of murdering his cousin Paul Coleman, 35, following a fight outside a family party in Coulsdon last summer.

Coleman, from Wallington, died after falling in the street and fracturing his skull on the floor.

The jury heard this week how Attwell, of Bermondsey, had hurled the 20kg concrete block at Coleman "like a football" throw in "to scare him".

However, Mr Coleman's sister, Simone Coleman, told the court last week how Attwell lifted the breeze block down onto the victims head before running off.

The court heard pathologist Ashley Fegan-Earl tell jurors how he could see no pathological evidence that supported (Mr Coleman) being hit with a breeze block", but admitted a "glancing blow" with it could have destabilised the intoxicated victim.