A PLAIN clothes police officer had half his teeth smashed after he went to arrest a man outside a nightclub.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Gavin Wesley was left bleeding from his nose and mouth after he was punched by Lee Dwayne Alderson who later threatened to kill him.

He suffered "irreversible" damage as well as bone trauma inside his mouth during the alleged attack, captured on CCTV, near the Good Night Club, Nelson.

PC Wesley, now a traffic officer, told a jury he had been aware of colleagues shouting: "Leave him, he's a bobby", during the early hours melee in March.

The defendant later claimed he did not know his victim was a police officer. Alderson, 27, of Moor Street, Nelson, was said not to dispute he hit PC Wesley, but denies assault causing actual bodily harm, the court was told.

Peter Buckley, prosecuting, told the court PC Wesley, described in court as a man of 'some stature, both in height and width', went to arrest a man called Eddie Geddes after seeing an assault. He grabbed hold of Mr Geddes, who had tried to run off, and both fell to the floor.

The officer was then struck forcefully in the face by Alderson, causing his head to fly backwards. PC Wesley's WPC plain clothes colleague would say the defendant had lunged at the officer, shouting:"Get off my mate." The defendant was restrained on the floor by a policeman and said:"I am going to have you when I get up."

The prosecutor said Alderson was said to have been seen pointing towards PC Wesley and his colleague and say: "Those two are police in plain clothes." He may have recognised the alleged victim as a police officer.

Alderson was screaming and shouting, was semi-crouched and an officer, thinking he was going to be violent again struck him on the thigh with his baton and took him to the ground.

The defendant was told he was under arrest, struggled violently, was abusive and threatened to rip the officer's head off. He was handcuffed and taken to the police station where he claimed that once in a cell and uncuffed he would kill the officer, Mr Buckley told the court.

Mr Buckley said PC Wesley had suffered fractures of all his upper teeth and two were mobile. He had trauma to the bone of his teeth, had received an "irreversible" break, while several other teeth needed further treatment and monitoring.

When Alderson was later questioned by police, he said he had had eight pints and had not been in a fit state to assault anybody.

He claimed a "fat bloke" had "laid into" Mr Geddes. The defendant said he did not know PC Wesley was a "copper".

Giving evidence, PC Wesley said he had been in plain clothes investigating burglaries in the area when he got a message saying there was an incident inside the club. He and his colleague went to the premises to back up uniformed officers. He said he saw Mr Geddes punch another man in the head, ran after him and both fell to the floor.

The officer continued:"I seem to remember trying to get back to my knees and then somebody or something struck me in the face. The next few minutes were a bit of a blur." The officer said his nose and mouth were bleeding but he was trying to keep hold of the man under arrest.

Roger Baldwin, defending, told PC Wesley that Alderson very much regretted injuring him. He had had no wish to harm him.

Asked about his injuries by the barrister, the officer said he had seen his dentist and been X-rayed.

PC Wesley told the jury: "They are healing nicely. He doesn't envisage any long term harm."

(Proceeding)