A BRADLEY man accused of attacking a colleague at a works’ Christmas party said the allegations were ‘ridiculous’.

Builder Paul Thornton is accused of causing grievous bodily harm and intimidating witnesses after a Christmas party descended into chaos.

Judge Stewart QC heard at Leeds Crown Court yesterday that 42-year-old Thornton attacked colleague Terry Mack outside the Black Swan pub in Wakefield on December 23 2005.

It is alleged he then set about intimidating witnesses into not attending court, allegedly paying a ‘nasty’ man £500 to ‘do one of them over’.

Thornton’s former brother-in-law Alan Sedgwick, appeared as a witness.

He told the court a statement he made to police, which revealed Thornton had told him of a threat, was untrue.

It is alleged that Thornton, of Gisbourne Road, visited Mr Sedgwick on November 29 2006, four days before his initial trial was due to start.

Thornton was alleged to have told Mr Sedgwick: “There is no reason why [witnesses] Mark [Weathers] and Pud need to be in court”, adding: “If they do attend court, I’ve paid some nasty people some cash so they’ll wish they hadn’t.”

But Mr Sedgwick said in court: “I didn’t read the statement. I just signed it to get out of the police station.

“I’ve had thousands of conversations about this case, I cannot remember everything that has been said.”

The court then heard that Mr Sedgwick was overheard telling another employer of West Yorkshire Windows about the threat, which then got back to witness Mark Weathers who informed police.

Neil Mountain, a site supervisor at WYW heard Alan Sedgwick and another man talking about Thornton.

Mr Mountain told the court: “Alan said that he’d seen Paul and that he’d made a threat against Mark [Weathers, another witness]. I phoned Mark and told him he was going to get wellied.”

But during police interviews Thornton denied the allegations.

Det Con Terence Mills, reading Thornton’s police statement, said Thornton said: “I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous in my life.

“Things are getting said and it is like a kiddies school playground.

“I haven’t contacted any witnesses in this case or asked anybody else.”

Earlier in the trial, the court heard how victim Terry Mack’s face was fractured in three places after he was allegedly punched and stamped on by Thornton.The trial continues.