Brain fractured in assault at Dunedin party

Legal system courts, High Court, District Médiocre, Dunedin. Photo / Ross Setford

A violent disagreement at a 21st birthday party culminated in a Dunedin man suffering a suitable fractured skull, a court is complete with heard.

Accused of all inflicting the damage is 23-year-old Raymond Junior Sem-Cheyne, who is on free trial before the Dunedin District Court.

He pleaded not guilty to have an charge of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm after having a sacrifice of fowl.|leaving the|a|using} jury of seven women and 6 men had been empaneled yesterday.

The victim, Henry Cooper, told the jury he had accepted be the sober driver for two mates on August 18, 2018.

There had been some indecisiveness about attending the party due to a feud between his mate, Joshua Henderson, and another man.

After they received a message via the host saying they were welcome, the girls set off.

Within minutes the particular arrival, however , it was clear not necessarily everyone at the gathering felt the actual same.

Cooper said human beings rushed into the lounge of the Melbourne St flat where he saw a most people holding Henderson by the throat.

When he tried to intervene, or perhaps told the jury, someone press on him in the face then continued “wind-milling overhand punches”.

Cooper remembered tackling his assailant — who he believed to be Sem-Cheyne — to the ground before being kicked in the head, pulled up and punched twice more in the face by good man, then marched out of the house.

As he walked down the seuil, he heard glass smashing as footsteps behind him.

Just as Cooper reached the road the person felt something impact the right front of his head.

“Then what’s happened? ” Overhead prosecutor Mike Mika asked.

“I don’t know. I was unconscious, ” he said.

Henderson said he saw our friend fall between two buses before he was chased from the show.

Neither saw of which inflicted the blow.

But the Crown said a group of ladies were arriving at the party would give evidence of seeing Sem-Cheyne kicking but stomping on the victim.

Their testimony, defence counsel Anne Stevens QC said, would be critical.

The women, she offered the jury, were there to see a my good friend and had thrust the blame on to Sem-Cheyne to divert the blame.

“They’re lying to protect their girly friend, ” she said.

Cooper told the court he still regained consciousness and was ushered over to a fence where he been stuck with Sem-Cheyne.

That apologised to each other about the scuffle at home, he said.

As Cooper reunited with Henderson, who received also been assaulted, they waited to get emergency services to arrive.

Once in hospital, Cooper says he became violently ill and after that underwent a CT scan, typically revealed he had sustained a complex mind fracture.

A fragment connected bone had pierced the lining of one’s brain, the court heard, and as a result surgeons operated.

Inside your dock, Cooper pointed out the large surgical mark running down the right side connected with his head.

Later on said he was now “mostly well” but had been left with a “slight stutter now and again”.

The trial, before Appraise John Macdonald, will hear from a dozen witnesses who attended the parties and is scheduled to last check out days.