Reading Crown Court: Man's skull fractured 'in Newbury town centre brawl'

Two accused of assault causing GBH

A REVELLER was left with a fractured skull and broken jaw following a brawl in Newbury town centre.

The victim was left lying, unconscious, in an alley after being set upon by two attackers, Reading Crown Court was told.

He was rushed to hospital by ambulance after Joshua Khan, licensee of the nearby King Charles Tavern, intervened and the alleged attackers ran off, jurors heard.

In his opening speech on Wednesday, January 6, prosecutor John Riley said all parties in the alleged attack had been drinking in the Walkabout bar in Cheap Street in the week before Christmas two years ago.

In the dock was 22-year-old Jamie Lee Price, who lives at Stirling Way, Thatcham, and Kean Greening, also aged 22, of Cromwell Road, Newbury.

Both deny assaulting Samuel Prior, thereby causing him grievous bodily harm, in the early hours of Sunday, December 22, 2018.

Witness Emily Pike, who was going out with Mr Prior at the time, said they had left the bar and were walking back to her home when they were confronted by her ex-boyfriend Mr Greening and Mr Price, who she knew from school days.

She said she could not remember exactly what was said but that “Sam shouted ‘leave us alone’.”

Ms Pike added: “I’ve no idea who started the fight.

“There was lots of kicking and punching to Sam’s head. He was trying to fight back.

“One of them would grab him and the other would punch or kick him, then it switched. It was two on one.”

At one point, she told jurors, Mr Prior was either pushed or had fallen back, causing him to smash his head on the kerb.

Ms Pike went on: “He was kicked a couple of times while he was on the floor. I was screaming for it to stop.”

At this point, the court heard, Mr Khan and another male emerged from the King Charles Tavern and tried to intervene.

She said both Mr Greening and Mr Price then ran off, leaving Mr Prior unconscious in the street.

Ms Pike said she placed her stricken boyfriend in the recovery position until police and paramedics arrived.

Mohammed Bashir, defending Mr Price, suggested his client had been trying to stop Mr Greening and Mr Prior fighting.

Ms Pike replied: “That’s not what I remember.”

Janick Fielding, for Mr Greening, asked her: “Did you create the drama that led to this?

“You told Lilyia Poole you [and Mr Prior] had an argument about what you were wearing?

“I suggest Kean wanted to know if you were okay and Sam pushed him in the chest and told him to **** off.”

Ms Pike replied: “I don’t remember that.”

The trial continues.