Murder victim said he would have refused medical help, jury told

A WOMAN who helped a severely injured man home after he had been allegedly attacked by a gang of youths told a jury he would have refused any offers of medical help.

Kerry Mee took Jerry Appicella (51) back to his flat on Craganour Place, Denaby, after he was beaten in a dark alleyway near the Go Local shop on Hickleton Street in the village on December 3, 2019, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Martell Brown (24), of Colliery Road, Conisbrough; Shae Nicholson (20), of Lincoln Close, Denaby Main; Kian Gerrard (19), of Lincoln Close, Denaby Main and a 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are on trial accused of murdering Mr Appicella.

Ms Mee, giving evidence to the jury last Thursday, said she had been in Go Local at about 8pm when she had heard a commotion at the front of the shop.

Prosecutor Mr John Harrison said: “Did you see or hear who was doing the shouting?”

Ms Mee said: “Shae Nicholson and Jerry [Appicella].”

She said the two of them had been arguing.

Ms Mee said Mr Appicella, who had been drunk and had his walking stick with him, had bought a bottle of vodka and she had offered to help walk him home.

Ms Mee said she had left the shop and gone to the ginnel with Mr Appicella just behind her.

She said she had told Mr Appicella to stop bickering with some youths, who were also nearby.

“I said: ‘There’s four of them’,” she said.

Ms Mee said Mr Appicella had been calling them "faggots" and they had been shouting the same thing back.

She said she could see Brown, the 15-year-old and some other youths in the ginnel.

Ms Mee said she had turned right out of the alleyway and walked along Wheatley Street before she heard a commotion and lots of shouting.

“I turned round and walked back,” she said.

“I didn’t see who did what, but I ran back to Jerry to see if he was OK.”

Ms Mee said Mr Appicella had been knocked out and she had tried to help him but could not pick him up on her own.

She said after he had come round, she had picked him up with the help of the shop’s manager.

“All he wanted to do was get home and have a drink of vodka,” she said.

“That’s all he kept saying.”

Ms Mee said when she had got Mr Appicella back to his flat, he had told her he would have refused the help of an ambulance crew.

She said his head had been bleeding and he had a footprint on his chest.

Ms Mee said she had given Mr Appicella given a hug and had told him to lock the door behind her.

Mr Appicella died shortly afterwards from head injuries he suffered during the attack.

The jury previously heard that he had tried to call 999 at about 11pm but his phone had not connected.

His body was discovered when police broke into his flat 12 days later, on December 15.

Nicholson has admitted manslaughter but denies murder.

The other three defendants deny murder.

The trial continues, but no evidence is being heard this week because one of the barristers involved is unavailable.