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A manslaughter trial heard there was a “strong” link between the time of a roadside altercation and a man’s fatal heart attack.

Mark Davison, 59, from Easington, died shortly after an alleged incident with Mark Beaumont in Gainford Street, Hartlepool, on Friday, May 27, in 2022.

Mr Davison suffered a heart attack at the wheel of his car in nearby Bailey Street and collided with another car and van.

Beaumont, 48, of Fordyce Road, Hartlepool, is standing trial at Teesside Crown Court on a manslaughter charge.

Floral tributes in the Gainford Street area of York Road, Hartlepool, following Mark Davison's death.

It is alleged he punched Mr Davison twice to the head as Mr Davison sat in his car following an altercation at around 2pm.

The jury has heard that Mr Davison had severe coronary disease and high blood pressure which put him at risk of sudden death.

But the prosecution alleges the stress of the altercation and Beaumont’s alleged role in it contributed to Mr Davison’s heart attack and death.

Giving evidence for the prosecution on Wednesday, pathologist Dr Louise Mulcahy said physical or psychological stress could increase the likelihood of a cardiac arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat.

Given how soon Mr Davison died after the alleged altercation, Dr Mulcahy said, in her opinion, there was a “strong temporal relationship between the altercation as a whole, both verbal and physical elements”.

She added: "Therefore it’s reasonable to associate the altercation with Mr Davison’s subsequent death.”

The trial also heard that Mr Davison's three-tooth bridge plate was found dislodged and damaged when paramedics went to his aid.

But a forensic dentist was unable to say exactly how it happened.

The trial continues.

Time of East Durham man's fatal heart attack and alleged Hartlepool road rage incident 'strongly linked', Teesside manslaughter trial hears