Girlfriend relives tragic incident

Lucy Thorne • Published 29 May 2008 09:00

BARMAID Gill Cook yesterday (Wednesday) relived the moment her late boyfriend was thrown to the floor of a pub bar.

Fighting back tears, 43-year-old Miss Cook told an inquest: "I still hear the sound of his head on the floor."

Miss Cook told the inquest Chelsea fan Steven Free, 34, was knocked unconscious when hurled to the quarry-stone floor by Richard Stenson as they stood at the bar of The George at Loddon Bridge, Woodley, on February 16 last year.

Miss Cook added: "He was only in the pub a few minutes until that man did what he did.

"Steve got impatient and stepped forward to see if his friend Tom had been served. The guy [Stenson] turned to Steve said something, then picked him up by his clothes and threw him.

"He was unconscious, I held him and kept talking to him.

"When he first came round he didn't know who I was and told me to go away. I never saw him alive again."

Mr Free, of Shackleton Way, Woodley, was treated by paramedics at the scene but refused to go to hospital.

Miss Cook, who met Mr Free in 2002 but said their relationship had cooled, said: "I insisted the paramedics took him to hospital but they told me there was nothing they could do if he didn't want to go."

Over the next two weeks Mr Free suffered severe headaches, lethargy, loss of bowel control and behavioural changes.

Miss Cook added: "I told him to go to the doctors but he doesn't like being told what to do. He kept saying he'd be fine."

Instead he was admitted to hospital on March 4 in a coma and died four days later.

Forensic pathologist Robert Chapman found bruising and bleeding to the brain and added: "There were three different areas of trauma that were consistent with the head striking a surface for example falling backwards.

"It is more likely it was a continuous bleed from when it was caused, which could have been anything from 19 days before his death to just several days before. But we can't be sure of the date. It could have started at the time of the alleged incident.

"With brain injuries a critical thing that happens towards the end of life is damage to the brain stem which controls breathing and the basic functions. It is damage to that part of the brain which caused Mr Free's death."

Det Sgt Peter Tomlinson said a file on detectives' 100-hour inquiry was handed to the Crown Prosecution Service which declined to bring charges.

Tweet

This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 29 May 08

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.

Follow @rdgchronicle