A 3D-printed skull has been described as ‘pivotal’ in putting four men behind bars for attacking and killing a father-of-two.

Frazer Brabant was assaulted and found with serious head injuries in the back garden of a house in Gershwin Road, Basingstoke, on October 31, 2019. He was hit multiple times to the head and face by a heavy, sharp-edged object described as a machete or sword-type weapon. At least one of the blows caused catastrophic brain damage.

The 31-year-old father-of-two was taken to hospital and died on January 21, 2020.

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Following an eight-week trial, a jury at Winchester Crown Court, on June 6, found four men guilty of murdering Mr Brabant and another man guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.

The model, created by the University of Portsmouth, helped the jury to visualise the injuries suffered by Mr Brabant. 

Hampshire Constabulary’s imaging unit created a digital model using a hospital CT scan to show the injuries. before Dr Morgan Lowther, senior scientific officer from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, worked on 3D printing the skull.

He said: “This was an unusual case because the victim had survived some very traumatic injuries and spent three months in hospital, before he sadly passed away. This meant that there were hospital-quality X-ray scans of his injuries, which we could use to reconstruct the anatomy. 

“Using the digital model provided by the hospital scans, we could 3D print a physical copy, building up material layer by layer. The exhibit was made from a material called PLA (polylactic acid), and by adding an internal scaffold, we made the anatomy stable enough to be handled and presented in court.”

SEE ALSO: Four men found guilty of murdering Basingstoke man Frazer Brabant

Dr Lowther continued: “I attended the trial and saw the pathologist use the model to help guide the jury through the injuries sustained by the victim. He was able to demonstrate the order in which the blows were likely to have occurred, whether they’d come at the same angle, and whether they would have come from the same assailant or the same weapon.

“The jurors were allowed to handle the model and take it into the deliberation room. I think it was a valuable piece of evidence to help them understand the severity of the attack.”

This is the first time that experts have successfully printed 3D evidence that has made it to trial.

Detective Sergeant Dan Hunt, the investigating officer, said: “This case was very complex and built over many years. It demonstrates how working in partnership can have a huge positive impact on justice and the lives of those we serve.

“This printing was pivotal to our case having been accepted into the court, and subsequently the jury’s deliberation room. This assisted us greatly in achieving justice for Frazer Brabant, his family and helped put offenders behind bars.”

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Pathologist Basil Purdue added: "It’s a truism that a picture is worth a thousand words - but a three-dimensional exhibit that the jury can handle, as they never could the real thing, is a perfect illustration.

“This is the most impressive demonstration of 3D printing that I‘ve seen. It was more than helpful in court.”

Basingstoke Gazette: Scott Neale, 35, from Spindle Close, Oakridge, has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 29 years for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, violent disorder and murder.

Lee Wood, 32, of no fixed abode, has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 29 years for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, violent disorder and murder charges.

Forhad Miah, 32, from Chestnuts Close, Oakley, has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 28 years for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, violent disorder and murder charges.

James O'Connor, 24, from Fairfield, Whitchurch, has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 25 years for murder.

Neale's brother Ricky Lewis, 40, of Candover Court, Basingstoke, has been sentenced to six years for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

Neale, Wood and Miah were also sentenced to nine years for GBH and three years for violent disorder. But they can serve this concurrently with the murder sentence.