A MAN suffered a smashed cheek after he was allegedly subjected to a "vicious" attack by a gold-chain wearing "skinhead" in an early hours town centre incident.

Stephen Muldoon told Burnley Crown Court how John Gabriel, 26, had asked him if he wanted "cutting up or down".

Mr Muldoon, who described himself as having been "tipsy", managed to run ran away and got into a taxi . He said he thought he just had a burst lip, but he then looked in the mirror in the cab and saw that all the side of his face was smashed in.

Gabriel, of Stockbridge Road, Padiham, denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent and an alternative allegation of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

John O'Shea, prosecuting, said the alleged assault on Mr Muldoon was vicious and for no reason. The complainant was out with two friends celebrating the news that one of them, Paul Owen, was to become a father.

They visited a number of pubs, a nightclub and left to go to a kebab shop at about 1.20am. The three then came across the defendant and a number of other men who appeared to be acting aggressively and the three crossed the road to avoid them.

The defendant, a skinhead wearing two gold chains with a boxing glove pendant, approached Mr Muldoon and asked him if he wanted cutting up or down. Mr Muldoon thought Gabriel had a knife, walked past him and the next thing he knew he had been knocked to the ground, kicked and punched.

Roger Baldwin, defending, claimed the incident started out as a row over who was having a taxi and said the defendant was attacked by Paul Owen.

Mr Baldwin suggested Mr Owen got hold of Gabriel's chains and pulled him to headbutt him and that was when Mr Muldoon intervened.

Mr Baldwin claimed after that the "man with the chains", was fighting and chasing Paul Owen and wasn't involved with Mr Muldoon at all. He said the complainant may well have been kicked and punched while he was on the ground, but it wasn't by Gabriel.

Proceeding