Teenager denies shattering Worthing dad's skull

The 14-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he was scared when care worker Alan Willson came towards him and two other boys with the log at Longcroft Park in Worthing last year.

A court heard Mr Willson was responding after another boy said he had been bullied.

His skull was shattered by repeated blows from a heavy, blunt object, an expert told a jury at Lewes Crown Court in Hove.

He suffered severe brain injuries and will never speak again.

The 14-year-old, along with Harry Furlong, 18, and another boy deny grievous bodily harm with intent.

Wearing a black polo shirt and black jeans, the boy sat in the witness box as he answered questions.

Gemma White for the Crown accused the boy of leading a group attack on Mr Willson.

He admitted punching Mr Willson more than five times but said he had no idea who shattered the 46-year-old’s skull.

“Were you responsible for causing those very, very serious injuries to Mr Willson?

“Did you want to really hurt him,” Ms White said.

“No,” the boy said.

“How did Mr Willson sustain his injuries, how were they caused,” Ms White asked.

“I don’t know,” the boy said.

“Who shattered Mr Willson’s face,” Ms White asked the boy.

“I honestly don’t know,” he said.

Asked if he knew how the log got covered in Mr Willson’s blood, the boy said: “I have no idea.”

The boy told the jury Mr Willson used the log to hit one of the other boys who he had in a headlock as he tried to disarm him.

After telling the court he understood what DNA means, the boy was asked how his DNA got on the log.

“I honestly don’t know, unless it was from when I was trying to grab it out of his hand,” the boy said.

“Is it there because you were holding it when you struck Mr Willson in the face with it,” Ms White asked him.

“No,” the boy said.

The court heard the boy left the park and changed his clothes before going to a train station where they were all caught on CCTV.

The jury was shown footage at Goring station which the Crown said showed them re-enacting their attack on Mr Willson.

Ms White told the jury the boys were laughing and bragging about the attack and could be seen swinging punches in the air.

The boy denied bragging, laughing and making fun of Mr Willson.

He told the court the boys were probably relieved at managing to get away from him.

He told the court the boys just wanted to get away.

“I just felt scared,” he said.

“I didn’t know if he was still going to come after us.”

Asked if they were buzzing and full of adrenaline, the boy said: “I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

The boy denied bragging about the attack to a group of girls on the platform.

The jury has been shown the bloodstained log found at the scene.

Dr Charlotte Randall described how Mr Willson’s skull had been shattered by multiple blows from a heavy object, causing catastrophic injuries.

The consultant forensic pathologist told the court his injuries were consistent with severe blunt force trauma.

“Punches, blows with object, kicks and stamps are all possible mechanisms,” she said.

The boy said Mr Willson had one of the others in a headlock and threatened to kill all three of them.

“He was like; I’m going to kill you, you f*****g c**t, that’s literally what he said.

“I grabbed this rotten stick on the floor and I hit him with it and it’s snapped straight away.

“I hit him that once and it broke.”

The boy said he punched Mr Willson trying to get him to release the other boy from his headlock.

“He was just going mad and I was just trying to get him out.

“He was going mad and I wasn’t thinking about how many times I hit him.

“I was looking at it like he was in danger.”

Three boys deny GBH with intent.

The trial at Lewes Crown Court in Hove continues.