A WITNESS told a murder trial how he saw a fatally injured Newport man lying covered in blood in the street - but did not call an ambulance in a bid to save him.

Christopher Davies told Newport crown court he has been haunted by the incident where he says he saw Wesley Strawbridge attacked.

Apprentice plumbers Kyle Dolling, 20, of Welland Circle, and Christopher Wood, 18, of Trent Road, both Bettws, in Newport, both deny the murder of father-of-one Mr Strawbridge in the city in the early hours of August 5 last year.

Wood is alleged to have punched him to the ground, after which Dolling repeatedly beat him to the head with the branch.

Mr Davies, 21, from Newport, told the court he had witnessed an attack on Mr Strawbridge which made him feel sick, and had walked past Mr Strawbridge's body on his way home.

Mr Davies said: "He had blood all over his head and on his arm and it was all over the pavement.

"I panicked. I wanted to touch him to see if he had a pulse but didn't want my fingerprints on his body.

"I expected the worst. I thought he was dead."

He then rejoined his friends, without calling an ambulance.

Mr Davies, a friend of Dolling and a cousin of Wood, told the court how witnessing the alleged murder had haunted him.

"It was just horrible," he said.

Mr Davies described how Mr Strawbridge had "just flipped out" earlier in the night, head-butting Wood.

He said Dolling and another friend had run off towards Sainsbury, with Mr Strawbridge and others in pursuit.

He and Wood had followed but Mr Davies said most of the group chasing Dolling gave up, except Wes Strawbridge.

After Wood went on ahead of him, Mr Davies said he had watched from a grass embankment as his cousin punched Mr Strawbridge, sending him falling to the ground.

Wood then stepped over his body and walked away.

Then, Mr Davies said he saw Dolling deliver three blows to Mr Strawbridge's head with a stick.

"I felt sick," he said.

Mr Davies said Wood told him afterwards: "Wesley wanted to hit me, so I punched him first."

The following day all four handed themselves in to police.

Mr Davies was initially arrested, but later released without charge.

Proceeding