The survivor of an attack in which it is alleged murder accused, Paul Groves, battered another man to death has told a hushed jury at Chelmsford Crown Court of his own alleged ordeal.
Paul Meeking, claims that he too was beaten by Groves with the pick-axe handle – said to have been the murder weapon - bitten and had his eye gouged and spent four days in hospital.
He told the court : "I was hit five times with the pick axe handle, got poked in the eye and my thumb pulled back. I was bit in the chest. Groves got on top of me and I was grappling with him. I was hit with the pick axe handle five times.
"Groves walked off from me and I heard the pick axe handle on a table - wood on wood - and someone shouted out: 'He's dead.'"
Groves has pleaded not guilty to murdering William Martindale and to assaulting Mr Meeking.
Mr Meeking told the court he originally had the pick-axe handle and said he had armed himself with it because he was not sure that Groves would not come "mob handed."
"It was for my protection" he said but claimed it was taken from him by Groves who then used it on him and Mr Martindale.
He told the court that Groves had been on the phone a number of times to Mr Martindale about a cannabis crop and Mr Martindale told him to "come round and we'll sort it out."
He said that when Groves arrived another man was with him and continued : "Mr Martindale said to Groves 'Oh, there's two of you,' receiving the reply: 'I'm here to sort this out.'"
Mr Meeking said : "He then attacked Mr Martindale punching him four or five times. I hit Groves with the pick axe handle.
"Groves said: 'He's f,...ing hit me, he's f....ing hit me. He had a bottle in his hand and came towards me."
Mr Meeking continues his evidence today.
Earlier the court was told by the prosecutor Simon Spence QC that when Groves was approached on the night of the killing by police he asked them why so many police were about.
Mr Spence said : "The officer asked if he was Paul Groves and the defendant replied 'Yeh, you can arrest me for nothing if you want.' Having been arrested for murder he asked 'Who's dead?'.
"It was a curious reaction from the defendant to the officer you may think."
A forensic pathologist established that Mr Martindale had a total of 11 injuries to his head and body, Mr Spence told the jury.
He said that the skull fracture depression on Mr Martindale went in 0.8cm. There was bleeding under the skull and damage to the nerve endings in his brain. He also had broken eye sockets and a broken cheekbone from the punches or from the blows from behind when his head was resting on a table.
Mr Spence said the injuries were in keeping with the pick-axe handle being swung from overhead and with direct impact blows to the back of the head.
He said that the pickaxe handle was recovered from Groves' van parked at his father's home in Tudor Grove, Fyfield Road, Chipping Ongar. Analysis showed it had a piece of Mr Martindale's skin embedded into the wood at the wider end, hair and his blood. Groves' DNA was at the handle end.
end
