A drunken teenager jabbed a broken beer bottle into a student’s neck after a row over a girl, a court heard.

Jack Sayers, aged 19, ran up behind the stranger in the street and attacked him with the glass bottle in the early hours.

University student Jay Deacon, aged 21, was left with cuts to his neck and chin following the assault in North Hill.

Surgeons were unable to remove some of the glass from his neck, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

Trainee electrician Sayers has admitted attacking Mr Deacon over the May Bank Holiday weekend last year.

Sayers, of Cole Lane, Ivybridge, has gone on trial after denying causing grievous bodily harm with intent on May 7 last year.

Opening the case for the Crown Prosecution Service, Emily Cook said Mr Deacon and his friend Max Barlow were out drinking at Switch nightclub on Sherwell Arcade.

She added: “Jack Sayers was also out and he exchanged words with Mr Deacon and Mr Barlow over the way they had been talking to a friend’s girlfriend.”

Police released CCTV from outside the North Hill Spar at the time of the incident
Police released CCTV from outside Switch at the time of the incident. Faces have been blurred by Plymouth Live

Miss Cook said the two friends walked away up North Hill but Sayers ran up behind Mr Deacon and delivered a forceful blow to his neck while holding glass at about 6am.

The barrister added that Sayers threw the bottle at him and than ran away.

Miss Cook said that Mr Deacon was treated at Derriford Hospital with a 3cm deep wound to his jaw and a 2cm deep wound to his neck.

The court heard the wounds were stitched up but fragments of glass were left inside his neck.

Miss Cook said the glass would “work their way out” of his body.

She added that police found a piece of a broken glass bottle bearing a Tuborg label in a pool of blood at the scene of the attack.

The barrister added that matching pieces of glass were found nearby in North Hill.

The Spar shop on North Hill

Miss Cook said that CCTV outside Switch showed that Sayers had nothing in his hands – so he had “armed herself” with the broken bottle.

The barrister read a statement from Mr Deacon.

He told the court of Sayers in Switch: “This man was argumentative and wanted a start a fight”.

Mr Deacon said he walked away up North Hill with Mr Barlow.

He added that they were aware that Sayers was following them but he said he did not want to look back because that might provoke him.

Mr Deacon said that he felt a blow from behind and he said his memory of the rest of the evening was blurred.

Sayers, taking the stand, said that night he was more drunk than he had ever been in his life.

Resident judge Paul Darlow at Plymouth Crown Court
The case is being heard by resident judge Paul Darlow at Plymouth Crown Court

He added he had downed a crate of beer since noon at a barbecue before going into town at about 11pm.

Sayers said he only recalled “clips” of what happened that night.

He added that he met an old school friend in Switch who was talking to Mr Deacon and Mr Barlow – whom he did not know.

Sayers said she asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend so that the men would leave her alone.

He added: “It was very petty, it was not like it was anything serious.”

His barrister William Parkhill asked him: “Had you any reason to have an issue with Mr Deacon or Mr Barlow?”

He said: “No, not at all.”

Plymouth Crown Court
The case is being heard at Plymouth Crown Court

But Sayers said that as one of the men walked away from the club he turned and shouted that he was a “spotty rat”.

The defendant said: “At that point I got angry with him and I shouted something back, I cannot recall what I said.”

He admitted following the men but said he did not know what he was going to do.

Sayers added: “I honestly do not recall, I don’t remember walking up North Hill but I did hit him, I take full responsibility. In my eyes I just punched him. It was the heat of the moment.”

Mr Parkhill asked his client whether he intended to cut Mr Deacon.

Sayers said: “I would never set out to do that. It is so out of character, I am not that kind of person”.

The trial continues.

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