The former boss of a tip firm on trial for assaulting two women during a night out claimed: “A lot of people in Huddersfield have a vendetta against me.”

Sam Hunter said that he was unfairly blamed for abandoning a fire ravaged tip in the town – and even hit out about the Examiner for carrying negative reports about him.

The 25-year-old was giving evidence in his two day trial, which is expected to conclude at Huddersfield Magistrates’ Court later today.

He denies assaulting two women as they celebrated a friend’s 50th birthday in Slaithwaite late on May 28.

Yesterday the Huddersfield court heard evidence from several members of the party who said that Hunter flew into a rage when they confronted him when he took a taxi meant for them.

Sam Hunter arriving at Kirklees Magistrates Court, to face assault charges.

Alexandra Howarth told how he knocked a tray of cheesy chips from her hand, telling her that she was fat enough.

When another friend, Catherine Richardson, rushed to help he allegedly pushed her to the floor, labelling her “Madge from Benidorm” and tipping a dog bowl full of water over her head.

Hunter told magistrates that he was enjoying drinks in the Shoulder of Mutton pub when the landlord asked him to leave.

He said: “He came out and said: ‘I’m not serving you, you’re that lad out of the paper who left all the mess in Huddersfield.

“A lot of people in Huddersfield have a vendetta against me but I sold the business and somebody set fire to the yard.

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“The Huddersfield Examiner takes great delight in it.

“I’m used to it, it’s a pinch of salt. If people believe what they read in the paper then more fool them.”

Hunter said that he and his friend Christine Barber left the pub and got into a waiting taxi.

He claimed that one of the women in the birthday group, Samantha Bullas, opened the door of the cab and shouted to him to get out.

Hunter told magistrates: “She was swearing at me and carrying on.

Sam Hunter arriving at Kirklees Magistrates Court, to face assault charges.

“She had a bottle of water and she threw it over me, splashing me and the taxi driver.”

Hunter claimed that his friend got out of the taxi and shouted at Ms Bullas and pushed her.

He told the court that he also left the cab and was surrounded by the rest of the group of “really violent” women.

Hunter admitted calling one of his alleged victims a “wrinkly old s***g” and “Madge from Benidorm” but claimed that she prodded him really hard in his belly and called him fat.

He told magistrates that his friend was responsible for pushing her to the floor and claimed that he knocked the chips from Ms Howarth’s hand in retaliation after she spat at him.

Hunter denied snatching Karen Brook’s phone from her as she tried to call police but admitted tipping the contents of a dog bowl over Ms Richardson’s head.

He told magistrates that he did this because he felt disgusted at being spat at.

Hunter claimed: “They (the group) were p****d and wanted trouble.

“A couple of them were staggering about and they were very rowdy and very verbal.

“They were rough f****g women.”

Hunter, who now works for a concrete company, claimed that he would have given up the taxi if he had been asked politely as he was “the most obliging person.”

He admitted laughing about the incident in a takeaway afterwards in footage recorded by a witness.

But he claimed that he was “laughing with fright because of how weird the women were.”

Hunter, who previously ran the Hunter’s Group tip at Lockwood , denies two charges of assault and one allegation of criminal damage.

Proceeding