Samuel Field murder trial jury hears victim was able to 'tolerate' brain bleeds because of his age
A senior medic has told a jury that Martin Glynn’s head trauma made him more susceptible to the pneumonia that he had when he died.
Samuel Field, 40, is standing trial charged with the murder of his friend Martin Glynn, 93, who it’s alleged was subject to a 28-hour assault at Field’s Desborough flat in September 2024.
Now in its second week, the jury at Northampton Crown Court is being walked through complicated medical evidence that the prosecution says proves that Field was responsible for Mr Glynn’s death.
Field admits attacking Mr Glynn, but his defence team says that the attack did not cause his death, which came three months later.
‘We describe it as a mild head injury’
Expert witness Mr Ameen Abbas Ameen is a neurosurgery consultant with 38 years of experience.
From the witness box, he explained to the jury the structure of the brain, and told them that on admission to hospital, Mr Glynn had suffered a substantial amount of blood clotting between the dura layer and the brain.
He said that blood clotting often causes pressure in the brain because there is no room between the layers of the brain for expansion, causing patients to fall unconscious.
But he said that in an older person’s brain there is more space between the layers of the brain, meaning there is less pressure, so they can often tolerate bleeding without falling unconscious.
Mr Ameen was asked what symptoms Mr Glynn encountered when he was brought into hospital.
He said that initially it was treated as a ‘mild’ head injury.
"For somebody with a head injury where there’s no increase in pressure, we describe it as a mild head injury,” he told the jury.
"Mr Glynn remained fully conscious with no weakness in his arms or legs. That’s the case with older people because they don’t have a rise in pressure inside the skull.”
Mr Ameen continued: “However he later developed the complications of immobility and frailty from being bed bound.
“He tolerated the injury without becoming unconscious but what happened in the sequence of injury is they (Mr Glynn) became less mobile and he’s been exposed to the risk of chest infection which is by far the commonest sequence of injury in a man of his age.”
Pneumonia
The jury later heard the Mr Glynn was discharged from Northampton General Hospital on November 28, to Spinneyfields in Kettering, for rehab. He moved into Wheatsheaf Court care home in Daventry on December 18 where he died eight days later of bronchopneumonia.
The court also heard that Mr Glynn had had a previous fall in 2023 and a CT scan was taken which showed no bleeding or dead tissue in the brain.
Mr Ameen said that he had compiled a second report on Mr Glynn’s death after other experts had been consulted.
Adrian Langdale KC, for the prosecution, said: “Dr Frances Hollingbury, the forensic pathologist in this case, states that the head injury with which Mr Glynn was admitted to hospital in September more than minimally contributed to his death. Do you agree with that?”
"Yes,” replied Mr Ameen.
"The injury aggravated his immobility, in other words made it worse, and made him bedridden.. which caused the bronchopneumonia?” asked Mr Langdale.
"Yes,” replied Mr Ameen.
He agreed that the brain injury had made Mr Glynn much more susceptible to conditions like pneumonia, which ultimately killed him.
Hospital acquired infection?
Mr Ameen also told the court that a hospital-acquired chest infection is much worse than a community-acquired infection because it is often caused by organisms that are more resistant to anti-biotics.
"Hospital infections are much more serious than community acquired infections,” he said.
“Martin Glynn’s infection was because of his admission to hospital.
"Without it he would have probably had a chest infection yes, but it would be more likely to have been treated effectively as an outpatient with antibiotics.”
‘Perfectly possible’
Mr Ameen was then cross examined by Naeem Mian KC, for Field.
Mr Mian asked Mr Ameen whether Martin Glynn’s age meant that he was more likely to contract pneumonia. He confirmed that it was.
"And it’s the case even people of his advanced age without trauma to the head can contract pneumonia?” asked Mr Mian.
“Yes,” replied Mr Ameen.
Mr Mian asked if the care home was where he eventually died of pneumonia, and Mr Ameen replied that it was.
"And it’s perfectly possible that he would have contracted that pneumonia within the confines of the care home?” asked Mr Mian.
“Yes,” said Mr Ameen.
He said that Mr Ameen had extrapolated suppositions from a series of facts.
"So given it’s perfectly possible, given his advancing age, he could have contracted the pneumonia outside, absent of any head trauma, it’s perfectly possible that it’s not linked to the trauma.” said Mr Mian.
"There’s no definitive test to show that the pneumonia was caused by the injury,” asked Mr Mian.
"It’s a complication of the injury,” replied Mr Ameen. “I’m not saying the pneumonia was caused by it. He would have had more chance of recovery without the index injury.” (The index injury meaning the head trauma).
The trial continues.