Wirral dad Alan Corney was not killed, court is told

May 19 2009 by Luke Traynor, Liverpool Daily Post

Wirral dad Alan Corney was not killed, court is told.

A TEENAGER once accused of killing a Wirral pensioner will no longer face a manslaughter charge.

James Crawford, 18, is alleged to have headbutted Alan Corney, 67, on the picturesque Parade, in Parkgate, in November.

Three weeks later, the father-of-two collapsed, remaining in a coma under sedation until he died nearly three months after the attack.

A murder hunt was launched by Cheshire Police and Crawford was arrested on suspicion of killing the much-loved antique dealer.

But yesterday, at Chester Crown Court, a manslaughter charge against the defendant was changed to grievous bodily harm.

Medical experts have ruled that Mr Corney had a pre-existing medical condition, and the assault, which left him with a fractured cheekbone, did not ultimately result in his death in February.

The 67-year-old suffered a blood clot on the brain and required emergency surgery from which he never woke up.

Pathologists, including a neuro- specialist, have examined the antique dealer and believe the pensioner’s medical history including two strokes, were responsible for his fatal injuries.

A two-day trial will now take place in July.