Man accused of attempted murder admits kicking 53-year-old on the ground

A 20-year-old accused of deliberately running over a 53-year-old man in a revenge attack following a brawl outside a pub has admitted kicking him while he was on the ground.

Giving evidence during his trial at Ipswich Crown Court, Nathan Baker admitted that he and his two passengers, Daniel Hermon and Lewis Aldridge had pulled up alongside Julian Johnson and assaulted him as he was walking home in Beccles.

Baker claimed that Hermon had threatened to stab Mr Johnson if he didn’t drop his phone and he had felt worried as he hadn’t been aware that anyone in his car had a knife.

Baker admitted that he and Aldridge had dragged Mr Johnson to the ground by his rucksack and then all three of them had kicked him for “a couple of minutes”.

He claimed that Hermon had said “finish him off” and Baker said he had then noticed Hermon had a knife, which he unsuccessfully tried to get off him.

Baker said he told Hermon: “That’s enough. That’s taking it too far”.

He picked up Mr Johnson’s phone and thrown it away before getting back into his car.

Baker said he was scared about what had just happened with Mr Johnson and had difficulty seeing out of his eye which had closed up and was bleeding after being punched earlier in the evening.

He said that after Hermon and Aldridge got back in the car he had reversed to avoid Mr Johnson who was lying half on the pavement and half on the road.

Baker of Quay Street, Halesworth, Hermon, 26, of Market Place Southwold and Aldridge, 27, of the same address, have all denied attempting to murder Mr Johnson and an offence of grievous bodily harm.

It has been alleged that after Baker was punched in the face outside the Wetherspoon pub, The Kings Head Hotel, he and his co-defendants had ambushed Mr Johnson who had earlier acted as peacemaker.

After assaulting Mr Johnson, it is alleged they then ran over him, possibly twice and drove off, said Edward Renvoize, prosecuting.

Mr Johnson suffered fractures to his pelvis, ribs and vertebrae and could not move when he was found by police at 3am.

Baker is expected to continue giving evidence on Wednesday.