A brother and sister caused a drunk football fan to choke to his death when they “force fed” a chicken kebab to him as he slept on a train, a court heard.
Nicole Cavin, 22, and David Noble, 32, are said to have caused the death of David Clark, 56, by forcing chunks of meat in his mouth.
Mr Clark collapsed on a train after watching a football match between Lancaster FC and Farsley Celtic match on March 2, 2019.
Medics recovered kebab meat the “size of a golf ball” from Mr Clark’s airway, the court heard.
“Size of a golf ball”
The married father boarded a Northern service train with his friend Jon Waite and had enjoyed around ten pints throughout the day, a Nightingale Court in Preston heard.
Cavin and Noble, who had known Mr Clark for about five years, boarded the service earlier at Preston after going to Blackpool for the day with her boyfriend Daniel Shepherd.
The men sat with them and, when Mr Clark fell asleep, the siblings pushed food into his mouth despite Noble having witnessed him starting to choke in a pub a month earlier.
Police and paramedics were called to Silverdale railway station shortly before 9.30pm after Mr Clark collapsed onboard.
Prosecuting, Ian Unsworth QC, said: “This was a chance encounter although as it seems and transpired, David Noble and David Clark did know each other.
“Bluntly he was drunk. He fell asleep on the train.
“Mr Clark was to collapse and the train remained at that station as people tried to help.”
Manslaughter
Paramedics retrieved meat the size of a golf ball, which had been blocking his airway and further pieces of meat were removed from his throat at the hospital.
But he died at 10.10am the next day, with a post mortem examination finding he had choked to death.
Mr Unsworth added: “Both defendants are charged with manslaughter. The prosecution do not say they intended to kill him or even that they intended to cause him really serious bodily harm.
“We say the force feeding of Mr Clark in the manner which it happened, on any objective view, was an assault.”
The trial, held at Preston North End’s Deepdale stadium, heard Noble later told officers a similar thing had happened when he began to choke in a pub a month earlier.
According to Mr Clark’s widow, Susan, it was a problem that had existed for at least a year, the court heard.
Mr Unsworth added: “We say this is significant. Why? Because we say David Noble, set against that background, clearly knew he had a problem with choking but notwithstanding that decided to force feed him in any event.”
CCTV
Photographs of a piece of chicken retrieved from Mr Clarke’s throat were shown to jurors.
Pictures of the train and food debris, ‘selfies’ with the kebab taken on the train and CCTV of the parties sitting in the carriage while it was in a station were also shown.
Both defendants were charged with manslaughter and have pleaded not guilty.
The trial continues.
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