Telford man's jaw broken in vicious gang attack, court told
A gang broke a man's jaw, repeatedly punching and kicking him outside a Telford takeaway, a court heard.
Victim Daniel Shaw needed an operation to put a plate in his jaw after it was fractured in two places in the attack in Wellington last July.
James Hutchings, 26, of Broomfield Road, Admaston, appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Shaw with a number of unknown others, which he denies.
The court heard that Mr Shaw had been at the end of a night out when he and a female friend decided to go to the Tender Fried Chicken takeaway in Church Street in the early hours of July 21.
After receiving their food, they went back inside to get some mayonnaise and a man, alleged to be Hutchings, started chatting to Mr Shaw's friend and made inappropriate advances towards her, the court was told.
She left the shop and told Mr Shaw what had happened and pointed out the person she believed was responsible.
The court heard yesterday that Mr Shaw had gone up to the man, who was now outside the takeaway with a group of friends, to ask him to apologise to his friend – only for him to be punched in the face.
He was then set upon by a group of about four to five men, who punched him repeatedly, pinned him up against a car bonnet and then kicked him as he was on the floor, it was alleged in court.
Mr Shaw's friend and another female friend tried to intervene but were slapped and punched by members of the group, who then left in a taxi.
His injuries were so serious he could not eat solid food for eight weeks after his jaw was wired shut.
Mr Shaw told the jury yesterday that he was "100 per cent certain" that the person who had thrown the first punch in the attack had been Hutchings.
The court also heard Mr Shaw had picked out Hutchings as the attacker in an identity parade.
Hutchings said that while he had been inside the takeaway and was present on the street during the incident, he had not participated in the attack.
He said he had not spoken to Mr Shaw's friend and had been eating his chips on a wall nearby when the confrontation happened.
The trial continues.
