Murder trial follows death of 2014 attack victim

A man has gone on trial charged with the murder of a man who died seven years after being attacked in Leicester city centre.

Jamie Burrows, 36, was hit in the head with a brick in Belgrave Gate on 18 January 2014, a jury heard at Leicester Crown Court on Monday.

He died on 12 November 2021 after suffering a seizure at home, his mother told the court.

Nathan Forbes, 38, previously admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and served an 80-month sentence for that offence but is now charged with his murder.

The court heard Mr Burrows had been out in the early hours and had become separated from his friends.

He was approached my Mr Forbes at about 04:30 GMT, who went on to punch him and hit him in the side of the head with a brick, the prosecution said.

The court heard the assault left Mr Burrows with a skull fracture, bleeding on his brain and a blood clot.

"As the months passed, Mr Burrows and his family hoped he was making some recovery, then he started to have seizures," the prosecution said, adding that Mr Burrows was later diagnosed with epilepsy.

The court heard evidence from his mother, Michelle Burrows and her partner Alan Butler, who were with him when he died.

Mr Burrows had returned to his mother's home, where she lived with Mr Butler, on 11 November 2021, after staying with a friend.

Ms Burrows told the jury she heard a dull thud and a tapping sound from upstairs at about 23:30 and explained that she went up to find her son having what she described as "a mild seizure" on the bedroom floor.

They continued to check on her son intermittently after his seizure had calmed, until 02:30 the next morning, when she discovered he was no longer breathing.

An ambulance was called and unsuccessful attempts were made to revive him.

Ms Burrows told the court her son was "the life and soul of the party" and described him as "a lovely person".

The prosecution made the case that the assault caused a "traumatic brain injury" that caused Mr Burrows to develop epilepsy, which had been "a substantial and operating cause" of his death.

Mr Forbes' legal representative said there were two competing potential causes of Mr Burrows' death, with causation as "a key issue" for the jury to consider.

One of these was sudden death as a result of epilepsy and the other was the result of alcohol misuse.

The defence added that the jury would hear evidence from two psychiatrists who would provide a picture of Mr Forbes' mental health at the time of the assault.

The trial continues.

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