Doncaster teacher Lewis Siddall left distraught, asked 'why me' after alleged assault from Blue Horrobin

Blue Horrobin, aged 22, is on trial for the manslaughter of Lewis Siddall.

Horrobin, of Highfield Road, Askern was in court today when Sheffield Crown Court was told how following the assault allegedly carried out by Horrobin in VDKA bar in Doncaster town centre on August 13, 2015, Mr Siddall reported the assault to a policeman standing outside the Silver Street bar.

In a statement read out in court Lewis' father, Mark Siddall said the young teacher had been 'disappointed' by the officer's response to the assault.

Mr Siddall said: "He said he reported it to a police officer outside on the street. He was disappointed because all the police officer said was to take himself out of Doncaster."

After this interaction Mr Siddall, along with a friend, got into an Alpha taxi driven by Jaswant Singh, the court heard.

In Mr Singh's police statement he said he had picked Mr Siddall and his friend up from Alpha's taxi rank on Princes Street and that from what he could tell people in the queue had allowed the 24-year-old to go ahead of them because they believed him 'to be in some pain'.

During the taxi ride, Mr Siddall's friend had asked whether the taxi could take the pair to Tesco Express in Bentley to get some ice and painkillers for his injury, but it was closed.

Mr Singh said: "(After that) the man clutching his ear was on his mobile phone to someone he called mum and was asking her to get some ice out for him."

Following that Mr Siddall's friend was heard asking him whether he would be okay and if he wanted to go back to his house but Mr Siddall was heard to reply 'I just want to go home'.

Mr Singh said: "I became concerned for his health so I asked him if he wanted to be taken to hospital instead but he said 'no, my mum will look after me'."

Throughout the entire journey Mr Singh said Mr Siddall kept his hands over his right ear, and that neither of the two men appeared to be drunk.

Mr Siddall was dropped off near to his home address of Crossfield Lane in Skellow at around 12.10am.

On arriving home, Mark Siddall said Lewis told him and his wife Lynne he had been 'side-swiped'.

Mr Siddall said: "He went on to say he had been punched from the side or behind.

"He said there had not been any confrontation and that he'd been hit unexpectedly. He said he didn't know the man.

"He'd had a drink but wasn't stumbling about or anything. He was really quite annoyed that he had been assaulted."

Mr Siddall added: "He was saying 'why me, why always me?'

"He couldn't understand why he had been punched for no reason.

"He was really distraught that the punch had come from nowhere.

"He was in a lot of pain, but unfortunately we didn't realise quite how much."

The court was told how after explaining what had happened to his parents Lewis Siddall was given some ice in freezer bags to put to his head and took himself to bed.

Mr Siddall went to check on his son shortly afterwards, and said he was awake and laid across his bed on his front with an ice pack on the side of his head.

He said: "I thought at least he's on his chest. I made him drink some water. I never spoke to him but he was moving about on his bed.

"I got up and went to bed - I wish I never did."

The court was told how just before 5.30am Lynne Siddall went into Lewis' bedroom to check on him, at which point she realised something was wrong called Mr Siddall in to help.

Mr Siddall described how his son was 'cold' at this point. He called the emergency services who instructed him to try CPR and chest compressions, which he did, but was sadly unable to save his son.

Paramedics arrived on the scene at around 5.30am, when Mr Siddall was pronounced dead.

Neuro-pathologist Dr Daniel DuPlessis said Mr Siddall suffered a depressed fracture of his skull which caused an extradural haematoma. This refers to a blood clot in the 'potential' space between the skull and the outer protective lining that covers the brain.

Dr DuPlessis told the court that a blood clot of the size suffered by Mr Siddall can prove fatal if not surgically removed, and mostly likely occurred following a trauma to the right side of his head 'four to six hours' before his death.

He said his injuries were consistent with one blow to the head.

He said the part of Mr Siddall's skull at the centre of the fracture was 'very thin' at 0.1cm wide.

Dr DuPlessis told the court that it was 'very rare' for the force from a punch to cause a depressed fracture, however he added that due to Mr Siddall's skull at the centre of his fracture being thinner than normal that it was possible for the fracture to have been caused by a punch - but said he could not know for sure.

Dr DuPlessis said depressed fractures are normally created by trauma caused by the use of an object.

Representing Horrobin, Adrian Reynolds asked Mr DuPlessis whether Mr Siddall's depressed fracture could have been caused by him falling to the ground after the alleged assault, due to the part of his skull at the centre of the fracture being unusually thin.

Mr DuPlessis said Mr Siddall would have needed to come into contact with a 'protruding surface' as he fell or as he landed in order for this to be the case.

The trial continues.