A man has appeared in court accused of assault following an incident outside a Norfolk pub which left his best friend dead.
Geoffrey Noble, 58, of Hardley Road, Chedgrave near Loddon, denied a common assault offence against a man in his 20s, during an appearance at Norwich Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
It follows an incident outside the King's Head pub, in Loddon, on November 10, which saw Noble's friend Neil McGibbon, 58, taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with life-threatening injuries. He died three days later.
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On the night of the incident, police arrested five men, all aged in their 20s, on suspicion of assault before releasing them on bail.
Following an investigation, officers said the men would face no further action.
Magistrates adjourned this week's hearing until May 10 and Noble was released on unconditional bail.
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