TERRY Edwards would have died ‘almost instantly’ from his injuries, a top pathologist told his murder trial.

Barry Bagnall returned to Mold Crown Court, as the second week of his trial comes close to ending.

Bagnall, a 42-year-old forklift truck driver, is accused of killing 60-year-old Mr Edwards at his home in Pont Wen, Caia Park last summer.

He also faces a charge of perverting the course of justice.

The jury heard from a pathologist for the Home Office, Dr Brian Rodgers.

The court heard how Dr Rodgers took over the examination of Mr Edwards from local teams at Glan Clwyd Hospital when elements of murder became apparent in the man’s death, initially believed to be caused by a cycling accident.

The jury was walked through what the pathologist found when examining Mr Edwards in more detail for the investigation.

Dr Rodgers told the court how he noted that Mr Edwards sustained major trauma to his head – enough to cause significant damage to his skull and brain.

Computer generated images shown in court give an idea of what caused Mr Edwards to die.

The jury was directed to a ‘precise and targeted’ injury that split Mr Edwards' inner ear.

As well as this, there was a slightly larger wound just in the upper-left direction of the ear – roughly seven centimetres away, says Dr Rodgers.

He added this was another blunt force injury and was what caused concern to the original pathologist who handled Mr Edwards death when murder was not suspected.

He added that the injuries left parts of the skull 'shattered'.

Dr Rodgers produced digital images of Mr Edwards skull and the damage sustained.

Dr Rodgers says that there was no doubt a massive amount of force had been used to achieve this.

He also stood by his report believing that the injuries must have been caused by a blunt weapon that was roughly around the size of Mr Edwards ear – likely a hammer.

He said the level of damage caused would likely have knocked Mr Edwards unconscious almost instantly – and his injuries would have proved fatal not long after.

Injuries to Mr Edwards' brain were regarded as ‘major traumas’.

He called this injury to the brain 'un-survivable' and imagined that Mr Edwards would have been 'dying within seconds'.

He went on to say that the 'killer blow' was likely the one to the ear.

Whilst impossible to determine the force used on the day of the killing, he said that some conclusions can been reached by the scale of the injury.

Mr Edwards - who was deficient of vitamin D - would not have had the strongest bones compared to another healthy individual, said Dr Rodgers.

He said that to have caused the level of damage to his skull and brain, that the court has seen, would still require a serious amount of force.

Mr Edwards was recorded as having traces of morphine, codine and noscapine in his system when he died.

These elements combined are attributed to ingredients of heroin.

He said that the levels found in his system was consistent with recreational use.

The jury previously heard from those close to Mr Edwards recalling the last time that they saw him alive as well as seeing digital reconstructions of the Pont Wen property where he died.

Proceeding…