What we know after first week of trial of Telford man accused of murdering neighbour
One man is dead and his neighbour opposite is in the midst of a murder trial following a fight in the street last July.
A jury of 12 ordinary people is being asked to decided whether Ashley Harris was responsible for the illegal killing of Anthony Wootton in Telford last summer.
Mr Wootton's body was found at 6.30am slumped between two vehicles in the Orient Court car park, off Gresley Close - yards away from Armstrong Close.
It is alleged 32-year-old Harris struck Mr Wootton with a rake, which effectively split his spleen.
The jury heard the prosecution say that Harris got his neighbour to hide the weapon under her shed.
Medical experts predicted he would have been alive for about 30 to 90 minutes before collapsing, and would likely have been unaware he was dying.
This is what we know at the end of the first week of legal deliberation at Stafford Crown Court, which has been dominated by the prosecution case.
The prosecution is tasked with proving beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Wootton's death was either murder or manslaughter. Harris has pleaded not guilty to both murder and the lesser charge.
