Burry Port manslaughter accused was scared, court hears

A TV director who pushed another man over, who later died, has said he was "scared" and acting in self-defence.

Hywel Williams, 40, from Cardiff, denies the manslaughter of retired teacher Peter Ormerod, 75, who died in hospital four days after being pushed.

Mr Williams, a director on Welsh soap opera Pobol y Cwm, told Swansea Crown Court he felt threatened by Mr Ormerod.

The pair got into a row about Welsh independence at a pub in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, on 24 September 2022.

The court heard Mr Williams was in the town visiting his mother and that he and Mr Ormerod had never met before that evening.

Mr Williams said he left the pub as he did not want to continue the conversation about Welsh independence, but said Mr Ormerod then approached him outside.

According to Mr Williams, he told Mr Ormerod: "I don't have time for this mate… I don't want any of this."

Mr Ormerod is said to have replied: "Don't you ever speak to me like that again. How dare you speak to me like that."

The pair then exchanged expletives before Mr Williams said he acted in self-defence and pushed Mr Ormerod, claiming he had stepped towards him.

"I felt scared and pushed him… I thought he was going to get back up," he told the jury.

Mr Williams called the emergency services less than a minute after the incident, admitting to pushing Mr Ormerod. "I did everything I could to help him," he told the court.

CCTV footage showed Mr Williams telling his mother that Mr Ormerod "can't come at me like that".

It also showed him telling Mr Ormerod to "go away" - in more explicit language - and then insulting his weight.

Mr Williams claimed he did not recall saying these words but did admit it was him who said them, telling the jury he felt panic and adrenaline at the time.

"I haven't behaved like that before," he said.

Mr Williams denies the accusation of manslaughter, the trial continues.