A man accused of murdering an Iraq War veteran he punched three times has denied he intended to cause him serious harm, telling a jury he “just wanted to give him a black eye”.
Gregory Twigg, 32, disagreed that he was “fired up on drink and coke and raging” when he confronted medically-retired British Army veteran Lee Woodward, 39, in Stoke-on-Trent on the night of June 24 2022, leaving him brain damaged.
The defendant, who was jailed for eight years and three months in September 2022 after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent for the attack on Mr Woodward, is now on trial accused of murder after the victim died from complications arising from his injuries on April 26 2023.
Giving evidence in his trial at Stafford Crown Court on Wednesday, Twigg, previously of Blurton in Stoke-on-Trent, said he was a passenger in a Vauxhall Astra being driven by his friend Nathan Lockley and was heading for a night out in Newcastle-under-Lyme when they encountered Mr Woodward, who was walking by their car in Hill Street.
He said Mr Woodward had shouted at them that they were a “bunch of p*****” and commented on their driving, saying he would “knock us all out”, which led to Mr Lockley pulling the car over in nearby Trade Street before a confrontation followed.
Twigg, who was caught on camera throwing what prosecution counsel David Mason KC called “powerful and cowardly” punches at Mr Woodward, who was in “no position to defend himself” after the first punch knocked him to the ground, said he did not intend to seriously hurt him.
He admitted he was “tipsy” at the time, having drunk vodka and Sambuca and taken cocaine.
Asked by his barrister, Ahmed Hossain KC, how he felt that his punches caused Mr Woodward’s death, Twigg said: “Devastated… it wasn’t what I intended to cause, it wasn’t what I wanted to happen.”
He admitted he had been “quite angry” after Mr Woodward’s comments, telling the jury: “I just punched him, I wasn’t thinking of causing him serious injuries, just a black eye or marks or injuries to the face.
“I wasn’t thinking of kicking him in the head because I knew that would cause him serious harm on the floor.
“I wasn’t trying to find a weapon, I wasn’t going to pick anything up to hit him with because that would cause him serious harm.”
In cross-examination, Twigg said he feared after the first punch that Mr Woodward was going to try and attack him.
Mr Mason said: “That’s just a lie isn’t it? You were fired up on drink and coke and raging – that’s you in a nutshell that night, isn’t it?”
Twigg said: “No. I can’t say I was trying to punch Mr Woodward really hard.”
He added: “I thought he was a threat because of how big he was, he looked like he could do some damage to me.”
Mr Mason asked Twigg why he pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent in 2022 if all he intended was to give Mr Woodward a black eye.
He said: “I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“That’s nonsense, isn’t it? You pleaded guilty because that was your intention that night, wasn’t it?” Mr Mason said.
“You are now trying to wriggle out of that plea because you know perfectly well that makes you guilty of murder, don’t you?”
Twigg said: “I know that now, yeah. I never wanted to cause serious harm to him.”
The trial continues.
