A SHOPLIFTER who was allegedly ‘punched’ by a security guard suffered from ‘catastrophic and unsurvivable injuries’, a court has heard.

Jason Page, 52, died after an incident outside the BP petrol station on Chalfont Way in Earley on March 31, 2021 after stealing meat from the Marks and Spencer’s store round the corner.

Sabeur Trabelsi, 44, of King’s Road, Reading is currently on trial at Reading Crown Court after allegedly hitting Mr Page before he fell to ground and suffered from fatal head injuries.

Read the start of the trial here: Shoplifter 'punched' after stealing meat

M&S duty manager Elliott Cripps, 27, of Ashbourne Crescent, Taunton, is also on trial charged with perverting the course of justice, along with Trabelsi, for allegedly lying about how Mr Page came to fall to the ground – namely alleging he had fallen as he tried to run away.

During the trial today (April 19), the jury heard that the injuries suffered by Mr Page, who was living in the Salvation Army Hostel at the time, were ‘unsurvivable’.

Prosecuting, Charles Ward-Jackson said that Mr Page had walked into the ambulance after the incident and was taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital.

However, during the journey he become ‘agitated’ before falling unconscious. His Glasgow Coma Scale score, which is used to describe the extent of impaired consciousness, was three out of 15 – the lowest possible.

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He was quickly taken into the emergency department of the hospital to receive treatment. He was moved to the intensive care unit and a CT scan later revealed he had a ‘massive’ extradural haematoma on the right side of his head.

The neurological team at The John Radcliffe Hospital were contacted and their advice was that the brain injury was ‘catastrophic’ and ‘unsurvivable’ and Mr Page ‘should be kept comfortable’.

Mr Page was sadly pronounced dead at 7.05pm the following evening after life support was switched off.

Forensic pathologist Dr Charlotte Randall took to the witness stand to talk the jury through Mr Page’s injuries.

He had a linear fracture on the right temple, a fractured eye socket, a fractured nose on the right-hand side, a fracture above the eye socket, a black eye, abrasions and bruising and the extradural haematoma.

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Dr Randall said injuries were all caused by ‘blunt force trauma’. She added that the facial fractures could have occurred at the same time or separately.

She gave his cause of death as brain injury.

The trial continues. Trabelsi and Cripps remain on bail.