Man, 22, denies revenge attack (From Daily Echo)

Man, 22, denies revenge attack

9:14am Friday 13th August 2010 in News

A GAS engineer has denied a revenge attack on a Good Samaritan who helped jail his brother.

Luke Pritchard, 22, is accused of attacking Jody Miles, who gave evidence during a trial that led to the conviction of his younger brother, Stephen Pritchard, for attacking an Indian seaman.

After the trial Mr Miles was interviewed by local media about the violence and said Pritchard’s teenage sibling, Stephen, and others, acted like a pack of “wild animals” during the manslaughter of Gregory Fernandes.

Mr Fernandes, from Goa, was a crewman aboard a vessel that docked at Fawley refinery in October 2007.

The 32-year-old and his shipmate had enjoyed soft drinks at the Falcon Hotel, Fawley, and had left the pub to make their way back to their ship.

They were later brutally attacked by a gang of youths as they returned down the road to the port.

An inquest found fright had stopped Mr Fernandes’ heart. For his part Stephen Pritchard was jailed for six years.

Luke Pritchard yesterday told jurors at Southampton Crown Court he was upset at the comment made by Mr Miles about his brother’s actions. “I was not happy because he had been talking about a family member.”

He said he later recognised Mr Miles in the Varsity pub, in London Road, Southampton, because he was wearing the same coat as he had on TV.

But he insisted he only “wrestled”

with Miles as he emerged from the pub toilet – and rejected claims he grabbed, punched and threatened to knife and kill him.

“I did not want to cause any more problems for my family,” he said.

Jurors at Southampton Crown Court earlier heard from Mr Miles, who said he suffered bruising to his cheekbone and around his eyes and had his coat torn before a barman stepped in.

He said Pritchard confronted him and threatened to kill him for helping to jail his brother.

Pritchard, of Hammonds Green, Totton, denies threatening to take revenge and battery.

Proceeding