David Marshall

Last night I was with a friend of mine stood outside the Public Hall Dance Hall. We wanted to go dancing in the dance. I had just left some of my friends and I walked down towards the Public Hall, and I saw my friend talking to some other fellows. I said to my friend, 'Come on do you want to go in'. I wandered off and tried to get in myself but they wouldn't let me in. I came out, and said to my friend, 'Come on let's go for a coffee as its no use we can't get in'. He must have not heard me proper because he said, 'Well let's go round the side'. I said, 'Alright we will try and get in the side door'.

We walked to the side of the Public Hall nearest to the Fishwick Bus Station and we stopped at a single door. As we were stood there this chap came up to us. He bustled in between us and he said, 'I've just done three round corner'. There was some blood on his nose and he had a rag in his hand and it was saturated with blood. He said, 'I did this on some blokes' head'.

He kept lunging forward with his head and pulling at our jackets as if he wanted to have a fight with us. He said, '(to both of us) Do you want a fight?'. I was stood with my hands in my pockets and I thought he was wanting to fight us. When I took my hands out of my pockets, he said, 'Now big fellow'. I said, 'Now mate you can't fight the world. Why don't you go and have a good night out dancing and that'. I said, 'If you want to fight why don't you fight in the ring, because there's blokes being paid hundreds of pounds fighting'.  I said, 'If you beat us it won't make you feel any better because you can't keep on fighting the world. It's in a bad enough state as it is'.

All the time he kept up an aggressive attitude towards us. We didn't seem to be able to calm him down. My friend and I and this chap started to walk towards the front of the Public Hall and I said, 'Come in the dance with us. Let's all go dancing'. We went round the corner at the front and stopped near the corner. This chap walked on towards the front door and he stopped in front looking through. I thought we had got rid of him then like we had been trying to do all along. I turned to my mate to say something and when I turned round he was stood at the front of us again.

He grabbed hold of both our coats banging us together. He suddenly let go of my friend and grabbed hold of me by the lapels. He said, 'Come on big fellow'. He let go of my lapel with his right hand and struck me a blow on the chest.  I pulled away from him and I thought it was him or me, so I struck him in the face with my right and left hand several times and he staggered back and dropped on the floor face downwards. He seemed to rollover on his face with a bump. He was getting up and I kicked him in the face once or twice.

Somebody seemed to come at the side of me. I looked round and he said something. I can't remember what he said but it was something like telling me to stop. I said, 'come on and we run down the road'. We run to Fox Street and then started walking with. I told my friend I won't bother getting the bus I'll walk with you and we will have a coffee at the buffet. I walked back up to Fishergate with my friend and I saw a lad who lived round our way and we got a taxi to the Sumpter Horse then I went home not thinking the man was seriously hurt.

I kicked him because he was going to get up and I thought he was going to have another go at me.