Leamington man cleared of killing lover after victim’s family describe ‘happy’ relationship

Paul Carscadden, 40, was killed instantly when he was hit by a bus outside The Indian restaurant in Bath Street late on June 24 last year.

It was alleged his lover of ten years, Ian Robert Chaundy, had pushed him in front of the vehicle following an argument, but a jury at Birmingham Crown Court today (Friday) found Mr Chaundy, 48, not guilty of manslaughter.

A murder charge against Mr Chaundy, a property developer, was dropped earlier this week.

The couple, who had been in a civil partnership and a ten-year relationship, had been for a meal at the restaurant before the incident.

This week Mr Carscadden’s family spoke in court in support of Mr Chaundy, to whom they had also become close.

Paul’s elder brother Gary Carscadden had lived with the couple at their home in Clapham Terrace for 18 months from 2008 to 2010. Speaking on Tuesday, he said: “They had what I can only describe as a normal married life. They were a loving, doting, behind-their-own-front-door couple. Paul and I went to a concert about a month before he died. All he could talk about was how happy he was about their future together.”

Referring to Mr Chaundy’s attitude towards Mr Carscadden being HIV positive, Gary Carscadden said: “Ian would call every evening on his way back to the house. Question number one was always, have you taken your medication today? Ian was the belt and buckles, always checking how Paul was. He behaved lovingly, supportively and almost like a guardian sometimes.”

He added: “Ian is a brother among many other brothers and always has been.

“I have not heard or seen anything that would convince me that he intended to hurt Paul or had any other ulterior motive than to protect Paul that night.”

Another of Mr Carscadden’s brothers, Al Carscadden, said: “Ian has had such a positive influence on Paul, both physically and emotionally. He allowed him to blossom as a man in his own right.”

The court also heard a statement written by the Rev Jeremy Blunt, who has known Mr Chaundy for almost 20 years.

He said: “Ian became an active and much involved member of the parochial church council.

“Myself and my wife were deeply shocked to hear of the allegations against him. We think of him as a genuine person who is not capable of doing any harm to anyone.”

· A FORENSIC expert who examined CCTV footage that captured the moment Paul Carscadden was killed when he was hit by a bus is unable to determine how the incident happened.

Consultant forensic scientist Jonathan Spencer was questioned in court on Tuesday by defence barrister Timothy Raggatt and prosecutor Alan Kent, while the court was shown footage captured by three different CCTV cameras.

Mr Spencer explained that the resolution of the recordings was not high enough to determine how Mr Carscadden came to fall into the road, while ‘artefacts’ - images in footage that appear to show things that did not happen - could create a distorted view of body movements.

Glare from bus headlamps also prevent the viewer from seeing how Mr Carscadden came to be on the road in two of the three pieces of footage.

He said: “The resolution is sufficient to see some movement, but not precise movement.

“We cannot see what it was that caused Paul to fall and we cannot see whether there was any physical contact between Paul and Ian.”

But Mr Kent, prosecuting, said: “Juries are entitled to take into account other people’s evidence as well. People can look at the whole of the evidence in a case and not just that very limited part of it.”