The organiser of a boot fair which spilled into violence was "petrified" when a rival came at him brandishing a piece of wood, a court heard.

Three men and a teenage boy were allegedly attacked after a poster advertising a car boot sale at Wrotham Showground ended up on the "patch" of another fair in nearby Swanley.

Daniel Bibby, 65, and Daley Bibby, 25, of Swaley Way, Buckles Lane, South Ockenden in Essex, both deny inflicting grievous bodily harm on Joseph McCarthy and three charges of assault causing actual bodily harm on Robin Hedges, Leslie Cox and 17-year-old Thomas McCarthy.

One alleged victim ended up with his wrist in plaster while another had his bottom set of teeth fractured during the Saturday morning onslaught in July last year.

Organiser Joseph McCarthy, who has been running boot fairs for 15 years, said at the time there were up to 800 people at the showground including children.

Giving evidence, he told Maidstone Crown Court he had been called to the entrance when heard a commotion and saw his nephew Thomas McCarthy had been injured. He said: “I heard a lot of shouting.

“I could see Thomas had a cut over right eye and a mark on his forehead and I could also see Robin, another member of staff, lying on the ground being attended to by unknown people that I suspect were giving him first aid.”

Mr McCarthy said that as he approached, the older of the two aggressors began shouting at him and before he knew it, someone hit him and he fell to the ground.

He told the jury: “I was extremely shocked and petrified. The younger guy was becoming very aggressive at me, I said: “why did you hit my nephew?”.

"He reached down and picked up a piece of wood and proceeded to start swinging it at me" - boot fair organiser Joseph McCarthy

"He reached down and picked up a piece of wood and proceeded to start swinging it at me. It struck me on my left hand and the side of my head. As I raised my arm up I felt a sharp blow to my forearm.”

He said he grabbed onto his attacker’s thigh in self-defence and the pair ended up grappling on the floor.

The court heard the men then left in the 4x4 but were stopped nearby by police.

Mr McCarthy suffered swelling and abrasions to his face, bruising to his arm and an injury to his wristbone which had to be put in plaster.

The court heard how the Bibbys had gone to the showground after finding signs advertising the Wrotham event on their patch.

They had two signs the same dimensions drawn up for their event and on the day of the alleged attack, put them over those advertising the rival boot fair.

Giving evidence he said: “We don’t class them as competition as they are a long way away but trying to use our fair to advertise theirs, it is not on.”

The jury heard how the pair then sought out the organiser, holding a sign advertising Mr McCarthy’s event which was broken in two.

Bibby Snr told the court how he came across a staff member in a yellow jacket. He said: “I swore at him and asked him what he was doing then he stepped back into what looked like a table, which collapsed like it was balsa wood.”

He denied assaulting the man and said he offered him a hand up.

He claimed Mr McCarthy Jnr came running over “shouting and hollering” and had his hands in a boxing stance. Bibby Snr said his son told him he wasn’t going to hurt him, by which time a group of onlookers had gathered.

The trial continues.