At least three severe blows to the head cost a Bristol father his life, a court heard.

Forensic pathologist Dr Basil Purdue told a jury he carried out a post mortem on the body of 41-year-old Alan Riddock, who was attacked outside the Park House pub in Bedminster on May 24 last year.

Dr Purdue said the three blows, caused by an object or objects such as baseball bats or clubs, caused "overwhelming" brain injuries and any one of them could have been fatal.

Bristol Crown Court has been told Mr Riddock had been standing outside the front of the pub, in St John's Lane, when he dropped his trousers and exposed his backside in view of Diane Churchley who was stood outside her home opposite.

It is claimed enraged Churchley told him he was "a dead man" before ordering her sons John and Liam and their cousins Jason and Craig Hartrey to take revenge.

Denying murder are: Diane Churchley, aged 50, of St John's Lane, Bedminster; Liam Churchley, 20, of St John's Lane, Bedminster; Jason Hartrey, 39, of Dawlish Road, Bedminster; John Churchley, 23, of Queens Road, Withywood; Craig Hartrey, 36, of St John's Lane, Bedminster.

All of the accused also deny intending to cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Riddock's friend, Jonathan Stephens.

Diane Churchley is also charged with assisting an offender by washing Liam Churchley's clothes and shoes and washing and hiding his baseball bat.

Dr Purdue said Mr Riddock suffered three lacerations to his scalp as well as stab wounds to his left leg and a wound to his right arm.

The court was told the attack also left Mr Riddock with a severely fractured skull and brain injury.

He said: "Alan Riddock was a well nourished, middle-aged man and natural disease played no part in his death.

"The cause of death was overwhelming brain injury from at least three impacts to the head. Blows were with one or more straight, heavy, blunt objects such as a baseball bat or club. All three required very severe force for their infliction and any one of the blows could well have been fatal."

Witness Sebastian Wills, speaking from a fully screened-off witness box, said he was a security guard at Asda in East Street, Bedminster, and was stabbed twice in the left shoulder when he tried to apprehend a man whom he had seen stealing a TV in March last year.

He said the man ran off after a struggle, but he later picked out Jason Hartrey as the thief from a video identity parade.

PC Ed Wiltshire said he looked at CCTV stills from the store and recognised Jason Hartrey.

Two staff members from another Bedminster shop, both of whom cannot be named by court order, described how a man threatened a security guard there with a knife in April last year.

One of the witnesses later picked out Jason Hartrey as the man from a video identity parade.

The case continues.