Stephen Wilson died after being punched (From The Northern Echo)

Stephen Wilson died after being punched

8:06am Tuesday 15th December 2009

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A NORTH-EAST football fan died of head injuries after violence broke out following a row between two amateur teams, a court heard yesterday.

Details of events leading to the death of builder Stephen Wilson emerged for the first time yesterday when the trial started of the man accused of his manslaughter.

Pub landlord’s son Maurice Rowell, 26, claims he was acting in self-defence when he punched Mr Wilson outside The Beehive, in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

The 48-year-old bachelor banged his head on the ground after being knocked down. He died in hospital the next day from severe brain swelling and acute haemorrhaging.

The events which led up to the death, at about 1.20am on August 10 this year, were outlined on the first day of Mr Rowell’s trial at Teesside Crown Court.

Trouble flared between two other men – Mr Wilson’s nephew and boss, Paul Barker, and Dean Whitworth – in the wake of a football match between their two teams.

Hours earlier, Mr Barker’s side, the Cumberland Arms, from Bishop Auckland, had beaten Mr Whitworth’s club, The Station, from nearby West Auckland, 7-2.

Sports fan Mr Wilson had helped to organise the game, which was said to have been plagued by ill-feeling between the two teams and, in particular, between Mr Barker and Mr Whitworth.

Groups of friends from each camp went out after the clash, but ended up at The Beehive towards the end of the night, said Amanda Ripon, prosecuting.

Mr Barker and Mr Whitworth were ejected by door staff after a fight broke out, but the trouble spilled into the car park and others joined in, the court heard.

The melee involved Mr Rowell punching Mr Wilson to the ground, and being “hellbent”

on getting to Mr Barker while others tried to intervene, said Miss Ripon.

A doorman tried to drag Mr Rowell away, but he again landed a blow, which felled Mr Wilson – described by Miss Ripon as “tall, skinny and not made of stern stuff”.

The trouble appeared to end when Mr Rowell was restrained and went back inside the pub, but Miss Ripon said he swore and stamped away after shoving the bouncer.

Several minutes later, as Mr Wilson stood outside the front of the pub “minding his own business”, Mr Rowell punched him to the ground a third time.

Witnesses said the victim was lifted off his feet by the ferocity of the blow, and described to police an audible “crack” as he hit the concrete, Miss Ripon said.

Mr Wilson was taken unconscious by ambulance to Darlington Memorial Hospital, and later transferred to be treated by specialists at The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

Surgeons operated when pressure on his brain began to increase, but his condition failed to improve and he was pronounced dead the next day.

Mr Rowell, who lives in Hardisty Crescent, on Bishop Auckland’s Woodhouse Close Estate, was arrested, but refused to answer questions when interviewed.

Instead, he handed detectives a prepared statement that said Mr Wilson was going to hit him when he came from the pub, so he acted in selfdefence and threw the first punch.

Mrs Ripon told the jury: “The prosecution say he was not acting in self-defence. Mr Wilson had not provoked him in any way, and was taken completely by surprise by this assault.

“Mr Rowell was in an aggressive state in the car park, had not calmed down, and when he chose to come back out of the pub, he punched Stephen Wilson.

“The prosecution do not say that Mr Rowell intended the death of Stephen Wilson. The prosecution say that with his unlawful punch at Mr Wilson, he must have foreseen it would cause some harm, and that ultimately amounts to manslaughter.”

The fracas in the car park was captured on a head camera worn by door supervisor Lee Curry, footage from which was shown to the jury of six men and six women yesterday afternoon.

Mr Curry told the panel that he went back inside the pub thinking the disturbance had ended, but later found Mr Wilson lying motionless on the ground.

Mr Rowell denies manslaughter and is facing a trial which is expected to last three days.

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