Published: Tuesday, 25th November, 2008 12:30pm

Tourist tells of 'axe attack'

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A GERMAN tourist told a court how he was set upon with his own hiking axe by a gang of teenagers.

Science student Thomas Tobor, 23, said he was pitching a tent on wasteground near Cappielow with pal Jens Kuchenmeister, 23, when he was allegedly attacked by Greenock teenagers Lee McClure, Andrew Barron and Joseph McCairn.

Mr Tobor said: 'It was very fast and quite aggressive.'

The court heard he was forced to roll around the grass trying to avoid the blows, before being struck six times on the arms, leg and neck - scarring him for life.

He told Paisley Sheriff Court yesterday: 'I was looking to the ground and didn"t see someone approach. I was crouching and I heard someone. I looked up and saw three guys coming.

'Two were near, one stayed in the background. I knew there would be trouble. One of the guys had the axe in his hand and with great power hit me with the axe. The first time, it landed on my arm, on the wrist. I got hit four times on my body, but they tried maybe 10 or 12 times.

'I was rolling around on the grass so not every blow hit me. One was very close, it was towards my neck. At the very last second I turned, so I just had a scratch.'

His friend Mr Kuchenmeister described seeing "blood everywhere" when his pal was later led to an ambulance. Mr Kuchenmeister said: 'His first words to me were "they actually hit me with the axe". He couldn"t believe it and said it over and over.

'I saw blood on his leg, and when he took off his jacket, there was a huge injury on his arm. There was blood everywhere, it was a pretty big wound.'

The alleged attack took place on 24 August last year, five days after the two Germans had arrived at Glasgow Prestwick Airport to backpack around Scotland.

After walking from Kilmarnock, the pair decided to pitch their tent on wasteground just off East Hamilton Street, near Cappielow, where the court heard they were approached by a group of drunken teenage girls, one of whom allegedly threw Mr Kuchenmeister"s sandals in a nearby stream, before taking the other shoe.

He fled to the main road and stopped a passing motorist who raised the alarm with police, the court heard.

Joseph McCairn, 19, Andrew Barron, 18, and Lee McClure, 17, are accused of attacking Mr Tobor with an axe, knocking him to the ground, and kicking him repeatedly on the body to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

The three teenagers are also accused of acting in a racially-aggravated manner which caused, or was intended to cause, alarm and distress to Mr Tobor and Mr Kuchenmeister, by shouting, swearing, and uttering threats and racial abuse at them.

McCairn, from Sinclair Street in Greenock, is also accused of punching Mr Kuchenmeister on the head and body, placing him in a headlock, and biting him on his ear in a racially-aggravated attack.

A fourth accused, 17-year-old Sophia Collins, is charged with conducting herself in a disorderly manner, shouting, swearing, throwing Mr Kuchenmeister"s shoes into a stream, and breach of the peace.

Barron and McClure, from Greenock"s Lansbury Street, and Collins, from Port Glasgow"s Broadstone Avenue, all deny the charges before them.

The trial, before Sheriff Neil Douglas, continues.

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