'Ferocious' Leeds street attack caught on CCTV left man with unsurvivable brain injury, court hears

Ian Aspinall, 50, suffered an “unsurvivable brain injury” after being attacked by Ian Weston outside Weston’s home on Sandford Road in Kirkstall, following a family argument.

Weston, 45, denies murder and is standing trial at Leeds Crown Court this week. Prosecutor Tom Storey said the conflict started the day before on June 20, 2023, when Mr Aspinall had said Weston “deserved a slap” and “wanted to knock him out”. Mr Aspinall was the uncle of the Weston’s partner, who was pregnant at the time.

Following a bout of heavy drinking involving Mr Aspinall, and messages or calls being made between the two men the night before, Mr Aspinall walked the short distance from his ex partner’s home on Sandford Road to Weston’s, who lived on the same row of terraced properties, shortly before 9.30am the next day.

Footage from the CCTV played to the court showed Weston marching out of his property bare chested and launching at Mr Aspinall, throwing multiple punches to his face and head as Mr Aspinall held onto a railing. Mr Aspinall threw no punches back. Weston could be heard shouting: “Don’t you knock on my door.”

He then collapsed on the floor unconscious as Weston walked away. It was thought he struck his head on the floor. Weston was shown to return a short time later and tended to the lifeless Mr Aspinall before he called the emergency services.

Weston claimed on the 999 call that he had happened to come across Mr Aspinall who had fallen and was asked to begin chest compressions. When the emergency services arrived, Weston left them and changed his clothes before trying to flee in his red Ford Focus, but was arrested at the scene.

He was interviewed later that day and admitted he carried out the attack and was annoyed that Mr Aspinall had come knocking on his door. He admitted that he “chinned him” but said he “went too far”.

Meanwhile, paramedics had worked for 14 minutes to restart Mr Aspinall’s heart, before putting him in the ambulance.

He was taken to Leeds General Infirmary and put into intensive care after he suffered a major bleed to his brain, along with a shattered nose bone and eye socket.

Treatment was withdrawn after doctors realised he would not recover. He died shortly before 4pm on June 22.

Having denied murder, Weston has admitted the manslaughter of Mr Aspinall.

But Mr Storey said: “He accepts he killed Mr Aspinall. The prosecution say the circumstances of the case will infer that Mr Weston’s intention was clearly to cause Mr Aspinall, at the very least, very serious harm and is guilty of the more serious offence of murder.”

Mr Aspinall, who is from from Standish, Greater Manchester, had moved to Leeds to be nearer to his son. He had been staying at his ex partner’s home at the time of his death, although he had a property in Chapel Allerton.

The trial continues and is expected to last five days.