A father-of-two died from after being stabbed in the head leaving a severe and devastating injury to the brain, a court heard. Raja Ghulam Rasool sadly died last year on November 20 after he was attacked outside an address in Luton five days prior (November 15).
During a murder trial over the death of the Bolton businessman at Luton Crown Court, Pathologist Dr Virginia Fitzpatrick-Swallow told the court that a knife went through the skin, into the temporal bone and into brain tissue.
She said: “It cut through many important structures of the brain. As a result there has been a lot of bleeding. He survived several days, but there were very severe and devastating injuries to the brain.”
READ MORE: 'It is just disappointing' - Heartless vandals burn Ukranian solidarity flags at Wigan display
Dr Fitzpatrick-Swallow said there were three other stab injuries that would not have proved fatal. One of these was to the left side of the head behind the left ear, another on the neck and the other on the right thigh.
The pathologist was giving evidence at the trial of a teenage boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons. The prosecution say the 16-year-old posted a video of the victim on Snapchat after he had stabbed him.
Prosecutor Sarah Morris told Luton Crown Court that before the attack the teenager was heard to shout: “I am going to kill him!”
“One wound entered the brain and caused a catastrophic fatal injury. The victim lay down on a bed and was bleeding very heavily. The defendant took a short video on his mobile phone. It was 6 or 7 seconds long and was uploaded to the social media site Snapchat,” she said.
Under cross-examination by Naeem Mian QC for the 16-year-old accused of Mr Raja’s murder, the pathologist agreed she could not say in what order the stab wounds were delivered. Mr Mian said the defence case was that the boy was being held in a headlock.
His case is that he is not guilty of murder for two reasons: that he was acting in self defence or defence of another person; and in any event did not intend to kill or cause Mr Raja really serious injury.
The jury of seven women and five men was told that after the stabbing the teenager rang 999. He told the operator there had been a murder and said he was the offender. When he was asked what he had used he said: “A knife innit, what do you think? I done it in self-defence though. He tried attacking me so I took a knife and stabbed him in the head.”
Ms Morris said when the youth was examined at the police station, apart from a small mark on his right arm, there was not a single injury. Ms Morris said: “Whatever happened at the address, only he (the defendant) was armed with a knife and only he had a weapon.”
Police officers arrived in Dorrington Close, Luton, drew out Tasers and told the boy to come out. The boy opened the door and was told to slowly come out. He was told to get on the floor and drop his phone. He complied and was arrested for attempted murder. At the police station he answered no comment to questions, the court heard.
Father-of-two Mr Raja, of Wentworth Avenue, Bolton, had travelled with his wife and daughter to Luton on Monday 15th November last year to visit his mother. They arrived in a white Range Rover at around 3.37pm before the incident happened.
Mr Raja lost a lot of blood and was taken by land ambulance to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital. He was given a CT scan which showed significant brain injuries. He was transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge where he died on Saturday 20th November.
The teenager pleads not guilty to murdering Mr Raja between 15 and 20 November last year.
The trial continues.
