A Cork man who was left in a coma after an attack and died nine months later was in a "deeply comatose" state, the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.
Dr Michael O'Sullivan, a consultant neurosurgeon at Cork University Hospital, said when he measured Mr Scully's level of consciousness using the Glasgow Como Scale he registered the lowest scale of three. "The scale is between three and 15, with 15 being the highest."
Mr Paul Sheehan (21), of The Glen, Cork, and Mr Ross Stapleton (22), also of The Glen, have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Christian Scully (28), of Togher, Cork, on October 17th, 2002.
Mr Scully was on a life-support machine after being set upon by youths at Sober Lane in the city centre on January 28th, before he suffered a cardiac arrest nine months later and died on October 17th, 2002.
Yesterday, Dr O'Sullivan said "there was extensive swelling of the soft tissue of the scalp. The scalp was extensively swollen, and there was significant trauma to scalp or skull."
On January 31st, 2002, he said Mr Scully's anaesthetic drugs were withdrawn. A scan showed that Mr Scully had "traumatic reading of the brain; he had a depressed level of consciousness". Mr Scully had a condition known as "diffuse axal injury".
"Depending on the severity of the injury, the patient may never wake up again."
After three months, Mr Scully began "opening his eyes spontaneously but he was not engaging with the environment". At this stage Mr Scully was classed by the neurosurgeon as being in a "continuing vegetative state".
Yesterday, Mr Patrick Long, of The Glen, said at 2.30 a.m. on January 28th, 2002, he was woken by Mr Stapleton and Mr Sheehen knocking on his door. His mother had been washing Mr Stapleton's clothes since he had been thrown out of his parent's house.
Mr Long said Mr Stapleton asked for his clean clothes to change into. Mr Stapleton changed out of the clothes he had been wearing, and left them to be washed. Later on the same day, Mr Long spoke with Mr Stapleton. "He said he had been in a fight the night before."
Ms Mary Ellen Ring, prosecuting, asked what he remembered about the clothes. "The clothes were wet," Mr Long said.
Mr Long's mother, Ms Anne Long, said the next morning she failed to check the clothes in the washing machine. But when she did check the washing machine, "the clothes had been taken".
The trial continues.