Teenager describes hearing man's ribs crack in Worthing park attack

Carer Alan Willson, 46, was left with life-changing injuries, a court heard.

Harry Furlong, from Horsham, told a jury he stood back as his two friends laid into Mr Willson with heavy, wooden logs at a park in Worthing on Easter Sunday last year.

Harry Furlong and two other boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, deny grievous bodily harm with intent.

Alan Willson

In court last week, Furlong raised his hands above his head and swung them down to demonstrate from the witness box how Mr Willson was beaten by the first boy.

Wife, Annie Willson, sitting in the public gallery gasped as the 18-year-old said: “He was hitting Mr Willson with a log.

“On the ribs, not just there but that’s the main area I remember.

“I heard a loud crack.”

Longcroft Park in Worthing

Mr Furlong said the violence started when Mr Willson swung and missed with a log he was carrying.

After swinging, Mr Willson lost his footing and clung onto one of the other boys in a bear hug, Furlong told the court.

“I immediately went over to him and grabbed his belt to get him off.

“I punched him in the face once.

“He had hold of my friend.

“A man was attacking my friend.”

Mr Willson and the boy both fell to the ground.

The boy got back up again quickly and armed himself with another log, Furlong told the court.

Harry Furlong

“They both started laying into him,” he said.

Swinging his arms over his head, Furlong said: “Like this, over the head - bam, like that.

“I can roughly count three or four by each.

“I had stood back, I had stood back from it.

“As soon as they fell to the floor.

“In fact, after I’d landed my punch and I heard the crack because I thought that was enough.

“It was way too harsh.

“So, first of all the crack on the ribs was enough for me and when he fell to the ground they were violently assaulting him.

“I actually shouted 'f****** stop; and it did stop after that within a couple of seconds.

“It was way too much.

“It needed to stop, way before that,” he said.

All three boys ran, leaving Mr Willson injured on the floor.

Furlong told the jury his DNA had been transferred to the log when it struck his hand as one of the other boys beat Mr Willson with it.

Gemma White for the Crown described his explanation as illogical.

Furlong handed himself in to police around 5.30pm on April 5, the day after Mr Willson was attacked.

Ms White asked him: “You handed yourself in because you were part of it.”

“Effectively, yeah,” he said.

“The reality is there was no reason for you or the others to use any violence at all or anything close to the violence you used together,” Ms White said.

Furlong and two boys aged 14 and 15 deny GBH with intent.

The trial in Hove continues.