ONE of three youths alleged to have beaten a man in front of his young son said he had been scared and stayed inside a pizza shop, a court was told.
Joe Hughes claimed the victim, Sean McKay, had approached them in an aggressive mood. The prosecution alleged that Hughes and two others punched Mr McKay to the ground in Little Lever after he stepped in when his young niece was being abused by a group of five or six men. The attack took place in front of Mr McKay's terrified eight-year-old son and, during the fight, his niece Katie was allegedly thrown to the ground, suffering minor injuries.
The dispute happened after McKay left his brother's barbecue to take some young children to the nearby shop in Little Lever. Hughes, aged 22, told Bolton Crown Court he did not take part in any violence.
He said he saw McKay hit his friend, Christopher Beck, before another friend, Daniel Watson, stepped in to stop the fighting. Hughes, of Hamilton Court, 20-year-old Watson, of Victory Road, and Beck, aged 20, of Bowness Road, all Little Lever, deny assaulting Sean McKay. Beck has also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Katie McKay.
(Proceeding)
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