Youth injured in Telford hammer and machete attack, court told

Kyle Turner, 33, and Matthew Walls, 32, are accused of wounding with intent after the teenager was set upon, in King Street, Dawley on the morning of June 19 this year.

The pair are each accused of having an unlawful weapon; Turner a hammer and Walls a machete.

Dashcam footage from a passing car which captured the incident has been played to the jury at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

It showed a man on the floor next to a goods van, with three men stood over him, appearing to rain blows down on him during the incident which happened near a social club.

Giving evidence, prosecution witness Paul Keen told the trial that he was a passenger in the van which arrived in the street as the assault unfolded.

Mr Keen, a labourer, said: "At first I thought that I saw some school kids in the road straight in front of the van. It turned out to be adults. I think there were three or four at the time. They were rolling about and struggling. They were moving.

"The man being chased was black.

"They sort of grabbed him and spun him round. I saw a knife with a blade of about 10 inches."

Struck

Prosecuting barrister Mr Philip Beardwell asked Mr Keen: "Who had that knife?"

Mr Keen replied: "I couldn't say, but I know it ended up with one of the other people. I saw a hammer and a knuckle duster. The hammer was in one of the lads' hands who were attacking the black lad. And the knuckle duster was in the hand of the other lad who struck the black lad against his head."

Mr Keen told the jury the alleged victim was on his feet when he first saw him, but ended up on the ground where he was struck up to six times with "a lot of force".

Mr Beardwell said: "The crown's case is that the two defendants are the attackers. You will see there is a third man on the footage. He has not been identified."

"Police officers have viewed other footage where faces are visible.

"The victim received a laceration to his eyelid, a fracture to the bones around his left eye socket, and a wound to his arm. He received numbness and swelling around his cheek.

"We say he was attacked by these three men. The reason why, you may learn, you may not."

Turner and walls, both of King Street, deny the allegations.

The trial continues.