'Noisy neighbour' Krystian Skowronski killed pensioner, trial hears

Philip Woods was allegedly killed by Krystian Skowronski in a row over noise

A man has gone on trial in Lincoln accused of killing his neighbour.

Krystian Skowronski, 32, of Gaunt Street, Lincoln, is charged with the manslaughter of Philip Woods, 66, on 5 June 2023.

Mr Skowronski also denies assaulting Mr Woods on the same day and affray.

On Tuesday, Lincoln Crown Court was told Mr Skowronski's "noisy and disturbing behaviour" had upset Mr Woods.

Krystian Skowronski is on trial at Lincoln Crown Court accused of manslaughter, assault and affray

Jurors heard Mr Woods made a 999 call from his Gaunt Street flat reporting he had been assaulted.

Emergency services attended but were unable to resuscitate him, the court heard.

Prosecutor Stephen Bailey told jurors: "This case is about a noisy neighbour whose actions in disturbing his neighbours, some of them elderly, led in the end to the death of one of those neighbours."

Mr Bailey alleged the "noisy neighbour" was Mr Skowronski, describing him as "a young physically healthy man".

The barrister continued: "The man whose death the prosecution say Mr Skowronski caused, and caused unlawfully, was Philip Woods. He had a long standing heart condition and high blood pressure."

Mr Bailey claimed Mr Skowronski would have been aware his behaviour over the months leading to the incident was upsetting to Mr Woods.

'Pipe down'

The prosecution does not accuse Mr Skowronski of wanting to cause serious harm to, or kill, Mr Woods, Mr Bailey said.

But the barrister suggested the defendant had acted unlawfully in two ways."Principally by assaulting Mr Woods physically, as Mr Woods told the emergency services in a 999 call immediately after the event," Mr Bailey explained."Secondly, more generally by using, or threatening to use, unlawful violence to Mr Woods and other neighbours."

Mr Woods lived in a ground floor flat almost diagonally opposite Mr Skowronski, the court heard.

"Mr Woods, on occasions, told Mr Skowronski to pipe down," Mr Bailey said.

'Disturbing'

Jurors were told Mr Skowronski's behaviour led to court proceedings in which Mr Woods made a statement.Mr Bailey said Mr Woods, in his statement, described how Mr Skowronski's behaviour made him feel ill, threatened and frightened.

Events came to a head during the late afternoon and early evening of 5 June when Mr Skowronski's behaviour was "odd, noisy and disturbing" to a number of neighbours, Mr Bailey said.

This included Mr Skowronski throwing a punch at another neighbour, which did not connect, Mr Bailey alleged.

Mr Skowronski was later seen pushing a metal goods trolley down the street, and other witnesses described seeing him throw items from it, the prosecutor said.

Mr Bailey said a visitor to the street described Mr Skowronski aiming a punch at her car.

The trial continues.