A HAMPSHIRE photographer grabbed the estranged wife of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and turned her around to take her picture, a court heard.

Freelance Jay Kaycappa is alleged to have assaulted Heather Mills-McCartney in a subway on Brighton seafront on July 5 last year.

Prosecutor Dale Sullivan told Brighton Magistrates' Court that Kaycappa had been "particularly persistent" in following Ms Mills-McCartney around.

Under cross-examination, Ms Mills-McCartney said she wheeled her bike into the subway to escape the paparazzi and panicked when she spotted a photographer at the tunnel's exit.

She said: "I panicked and thought I'll go back the other way and that's when I turned round and saw Mr Kaycappa.

"I felt like a trapped animal so I turned into the wall to get on my phone."

Mr Sullivan said: "Since Ms Mills-McCartney and her estranged husband announced their split it would appear that members of the press have followed Ms Mills-McCartney and have waited near her home.

"The Crown says one particular photographer has been particularly persistent in following her around."

Ms Mills-McCartney claimed Kaycappa assaulted her as she called Ben Amigoni, her personal trainer and right-hand man, to rescue her from the subway.

She told the court: "I felt a hand on my shoulder. He yanked me round. He hauled me round because I wasn't letting him get that picture."

The 39-year-old former model had gone on the bike ride with Mr Amigoni and an American couple, Michael Payne and Michael Shilub, who were staying with her.

She said the assault left her with a damaged vertebra which requires regular treatment by a chiropractor.

Ms Mills-McCartney also asserted that she was taking on the press pack on behalf of other harassed celebrities.

She said: "I don't have to spend my time in the court doing this. Jay Kaycappa has assaulted a lot of people and upset people and I'm going out on a limb. I don't want the man to go to prison. Community service would sort him out."

She also claimed Kaycappa had caused problems for model Kate Moss. She said: "I've got evidence of him doing a lot of stuff to Kate Moss."

Defence lawyer Anya Lewis showed Ms Mills-McCartney photographs taken by the accused in the tunnel at the time of the alleged attack.

The sequence of photographs show Ms Mills-McCartney entering the subway at 12.45pm on July 5 and leaving two minutes later.

Ms Mills-McCartney said: "I think these have been tampered with. I think the pictures are accurate but the order in which they're taken I'm very doubtful about."

She said that a four-second gap in Kaycappa's sequence of photographs was when he assaulted her.

Kaycappa is also charged with assaulting Ms Mills-McCartney's companion, Mark Payne, in Brighton the following evening.

Mr Payne's boyfriend, Michael Shilub, said: "He pushed Mark and he was yelling obscenities. It was a very shocking thing to witness."

He denied the possibility that Kaycappa was holding up a hand to prevent Mr Payne grabbing his camera. Kaycappa, of The Hurdles, Fareham, denies the charges.

The trial was adjourned to July 3 at Brighton Magistrates' Court. Kaycappa was released on unconditional bail.

Proceeding.