Andrew Thomas QC secures murder conviction in case involving complex causation issue.

Pub landlord David Keane has been convicted of the murder of one of his customers, who died from head injuries two and a half years after the attack. The case was prosecuted by Andrew Thomas QC, instructed by Fran Gough and Lisa Evans of the Manchester CPS Complex Casework Unit. 

George Harris suffered brain damage as a result of an attack in July 2011. He developed post-traumatic epilepsy which resulted in a near-fatal seizure episode the following year. On New Year’s Eve 2013, he was found dead in the bathroom of his home in Chorlton. 

A detailed medical investigation led to the conclusion that the death was a result of an epileptic seizure, and therefore a consequence of the original head injury in 2011. The defendant had already been convicted of Inflicting GBH with intent, but stood trial again charged with murder. 

The central issue was causation. All other possible causes of death had to be excluded. The prosecution called three pathologists and six other medical witnesses including consultants in neurology, pharmacology and emergency medicine. The jury rejected defence arguments that the death might have been due to other causes including cardiac dysrhythmia (SADS), cardiac disease, past drug abuse or the effects of ‘legal highs’.

David Keane was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years, less the sentence he has already served.