Brothers admit attacking man with a baseball bat in Telford

Muhammed and Mohsin Salim, of Crescent Road, Hadley, originally denied charges of assault and carrying an offensive weapon in Park Street, Wellington, on October 19 last year. But a trial at Shrewsbury Crown Court was halted yesterday when the two men changed their pleas.

The case was adjourned for the preparation of reports ahead of sentencing.

During yesterday's hearing prosecutor Mr Lee Egan said the pair had attacked Lee Bradley with the bat as he had been walking home with his girlfriend, Debbie Ferris.

Mr Bradley told the jury that he had been in Park Street at 6.45pm that evening with Miss Ferris when they passed a parked silver Vauxhall Corsa.

He said: "As we went past they shouted something that was clearly aimed at myself and my girlfriend. We carried on walking and I responded 'what?'. I didn't hear what they said. We carried on walking and then Within another 15 to 20 yards I heard doors open and close and the occupants were out of the car and one of them, the driver of the vehicle, had a baseball bat.

"They approached and they got very close. The whole time the man with the bat was talking, being aggressive towards me.

"I felt very threatened but I didn't want to run because I thought they might chase us and my girlfriend might not have been able to run.

"I saw the driver lift the arm with the bat so I knew he was going to try to hit me, so I put my arms around him in a kind of bear hug to try to stop him. hitting me. We fell to the floor. I was trying to protect myself and covering my head and other parts of my body. I got kicked to the face and head and to my kidneys and got severe bruising."

Mr Bradley said he heard Miss Ferris shouting at the men and then saw her taking photographs on her mobile phone. "She took the best pictures she could, which acted as a deterrent and they ran off," he said.

He said he suffered bruising to his face and a black eye which lasted more than a month. He said when he saw a doctor about the black eye he was told he had probably suffered a fractured cheekbone or eye socket which had healed itself.

Mr Egan said Mohsin Salim, 20, had been arrested at 8.30pm the same evening after police tracked the car from the registration number.

He said police searched the car but the bat was not there. They then went to the brother's house where they arrested Muhammed Salim, 17.

He said Mr Bradley identified Mohsin as the driver and Miss Ferris identified Muhammed as being present during the attack.