Overview
- Harden, 36, died on November 1 after leaving a Halloween party in Bacup, with prosecutors telling Preston Crown Court the fatal street attack lasted about a minute.
- CCTV footage and witnesses described him being punched to the ground on Newchurch Road, then kicked and stamped in the head as he lay unable to defend himself.
- Home Office pathologist Dr Charles Wilson detailed a fractured nose and jaw, a fractured larynx, brain swelling and bruising consistent with stamping, and he said death could have resulted from airway blockage, facial trauma, a larynx injury or a combination.
- Police detained Bhekisani Matabiswana, 26, at Manchester Airport two days later, and jurors were shown messages said to be from his phone that spoke of “jetting,” “making a run for it,” and appeared to admit a beating.
- Prosecutors say Harden was drunk and had used ketamine and cocaine, the defense argues Matabiswana acted in self-defense after Harden reached for his girlfriend, and the defendant denies murder with the trial still ongoing.