A BELFAST man accused of killing a 22 year-old in a 'one-punch' incident told police he and the victim had "a wee drunken scrap" and claimed he acted in self defence, a court heard yesterday.
Lawrence Dowie (28) is standing trial at Belfast Crown Court, accused of unlawfully killing Short Strand man Conan Anderson, who died two weeks after an altercation in the city centre.
Dowie - whose north Belfast address cannot be disclosed due to a reporting restriction - has admitted punching Mr Anderson in Arthur's Lane, but said he was acting in self defence.
As Crown prosecutor Richard Weir QC opened the Crown case against Dowie to the jury, the barrister said that despite medical intervention, Mr Anderson died from "severe and substantial" head injuries he sustained from falling backwards and hitting his head after being punched.
Mr Weir also revealed that after socialising in a local bar, the two men argued in the street.
Dowie claimed that after he called Mr Anderson 'Gandalf', the deceased "snapped" and swung punches - but he stepped back and struck out once.
As he set out the background to the manslaughter charge, Mr Weir said that on the afternoon and evening of Sunday February 5 last year, Mr Anderson had been out at a number of venues in Belfast.
At around 6pm on the Sunday, he returned home briefly to collect something, with Mr Weir saying that at this stage "his mother said that he had been drinking but was not drunk."
Mr Anderson headed back out, and ended up at Thompson's Garage.
He left around 3am the following morning, and joined a group of other people who continued to party in the storeroom of another venue and left at 5.30am ending up on Arthur's Lane.
While on the street, the prosecutor said the accused and the deceased "squared up to each other" .
Revealing what followed was "a headbutt by Conan Anderson on Lawrence Dowie", Mr Weir said Dowie took his coat off then Mr Anderson threw punches towards Dowie, which he managed to avoid.
It is the Crown's case that when Mr Anderson dropped his fist, he was punched on the chin by Dowie, which caused him to fall backwards and hit the back of his head on the pavement.
Mr Weir said Mr Anderson was unconscious for a short, and when he came round he left the scene.
The jury heard those present called an ambulance but Mr Anderson declined assistance from paramedics who intercepted as he made his way home to Short Strand.
Mr Anderson's mother caught a glimpse of her son as he walked past her bedroom at around 7.40am on Monday February 6, and as the day progressed she became increasingly concerned about her son's "erratic behaviour and appearance."
An ambulance was called later that day but Mr Anderson died from head injuries on February 18, 2017.
Mr Weir said Dowie was initially arrested on February 9, and told an officer: "He was a big fella. He came at me and tried to head-butt me. He threw two punches at me. I hit him once. He went down but got back up."
He was interviewed again following Mr Anderson's death, when he told police drink had been taken and there had been "slabbering" between him and Mr Anderson. Dowie said he called Mr Anderson 'Gandalf', and was "having a laugh" but Mr Anderson "snapped" and came at him.
Dowie also branded the incident as "a wee drunken scrap."
Rather, Mr Weir said, it is the prosecution's case that "the accused was not defending himself when he struck that fatal blow" which has resulted in him being charges with manslaughter.
At hearing
