A PUB landlord who waded into a mass street brawl left a 26-year-old man with serious brain damage after stabbing him in the chest with a butterfly knife, a court heard.

And when licensee Jonathan Wrigley realised what he had done to James Mulcahy, in St James Street, Bacup, in the early hours of November 22 last year, he panicked and started trying to cover his tracks, Preston Crown Court was told.

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Initially the victim, who had been stabbed to the side of his chest during a confrontation between regulars at two town centre pubs, walked away from the fracas, jurors heard.

But Mr Mulcahy collapsed to the ground within minutes and his heart stopped. Paramedics were able to revive him after a 20-minute battle, but he is now hospitalised and immobile, requiring constant nursing care, with no hope of recovery.

Opening an attempted murder trial, Francis McEntee, prosecuting, said: "Our case is that the defendant literally drove into the heart of the fracas and escalated the dangerousness of the situation, introducing a knife, which we say he used to immediately stab him to the chest, before quickly driving off at the end."

Prosecutors allege that Wrigley, who denies the charge, went back to his pub, The Wellington, in Todmorden Road, to wash his hands and then hatched a plan to wipe CCTV footage which might link him to the attack.

Mr McEntee said that the incident began when one of Wrigley's customers, Shannon Young, left The Wellington, a little worse for wear. She had been chased down the street by Curtis Munro, who was working at the pub.

But Munro had only been working in the area for some weeks so when he was seen trying to persuade Miss Young to walk back up the street, a group of young men intervened, sparking a confrontation.

CCTV footage showed Munro running back down the street to The Wellington, where he spoke with regulars there, before several emerged and headed back to St James Square.

Later Wrigley is seen getting into his Hyundai coupe car and driving down Todmorden Road towards the square.

Mr McEntee said eyewitnesses saw another member of Wrigley's bar staff, Gemma Stafford, punching two men, in the middle of the street fight.

Another witness, Ben Moore, said he saw the Hyundai driver get out of the vehicle, 'carrying something silver', which he thought was a spanner and Stafford's boyfriend, Terry Robinson, thought he saw Wrigley with a knife.

One of Wrigley's customers, Samantha Crossley, said she didn't see a knife but did watch as the publican made 'jabbing' motions towards Mr Mulcahy, the court heard.

The prosecution alleges that Wrigley confessed to Mr Robinson that he had 'jibbed' the victim and also admitted to his friend Nathan Kendall, at the pub, how he had taken out a knife, during the fracas and describing how he had 'done' Mr Mulcahy.

Wrigley was arrested on November 23 and refused to answer police questions during a series of interviews.

But in a prepared statement he said he come across a large disturbance in Bacup town centre and had come to the aid of Miss Stafford, amid concerns for her safety.

Wrigley also said he may have pushed or pulled some individuals but denied having a knife or stabbing anyone. If he had blood on his hands it was probably from his own busted nose. He also denied having any part in deleting CCTV at the pub.

Wrigley, 34, formerly of Todmorden Road, Bacup, denies the attempted murder of Mr Mulcahy and an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He has also pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice by deleting CCTV evidence.

Munro, of Queen's Park Road, Heywood, named in court as Wrigley's cousin, has admitted the perverting the course of justice charge.