A woman who lives where Michael Tierney was allegedly attacked by the two people accused of his murder, said she saw him assaulted outside her house but was too traumatised to call the police.

The witness, who has asked not to be named, was in her living room when she heard footsteps running past her window.

She gave evidence to Canterbury Crown Court this week where George French, 39, and his cousin, William Fleming, 26, are on trial accused of murdering Mr Tierney in June this year.

She told the jury she had been alone in her front room flicking though the TV channels when she heard running noises and some shouting coming from the Symons Avenue end of the street.

She opened the blinds to look out and to see what was going on and saw three figures by a hedge.

The witness was being questioned by Prosecutor Alexandra Healy QC.

She told the jury she heard running, very loud and very fast.

“The suspects, the two, were walking towards him and then throwing their fists at him. He put his arms up to protect himself or was trying to use them for protection”

The hedge obstructed her view somewhat, but she told the court she saw "two men throwing their fists at him [Mr Tierney]".

She said: “The suspects, the two, were walking towards him and then throwing their fists at him.

“He put his arms up to protect himself or was trying to use them for protection.”

Ms Healy said: “What did you see?

She added: “Just constant fighting.”

She described how one of the men seemed to be doing most of the punching, and "seemed to reach for a weapon", while the other was egging him on while Mr Tierney lay in the hedge for protection.

She told the jury she could see Mr Tierney’s legs sicking out of the hedge.

She said one of the men started to kick him and the other kept swinging the bat [pick-axe handle] making contact.

Asked what Mr Tierney was doing at this time, she replied: “He wasn’t doing anything.”

She said she didn’t know how long the attack had gone on, but the pair then ran away towards Symons Avenue.

Miss Healy asked her to describe what she saw.

She added: “I knew it was serious, it was traumatic and horrible.”

During cross examination by French’s barrister Dexter Dias QC, she admitted she never saw French take control of the weapon and never saw it in Mr Tierney’s hands either.

She also admitted she had watched what was going on outside her house for about two hours until about 1am in the morning but didn’t tell the police what she had seen until about 12 hours after Mr Tierney was injured.

She also admitted the hedge obscured her view of the incident and that she saw the pair run off in the direction of Chalice Court in Symons Avenue.

The jury then asked the witness via a note passed to Judge Adele Williams why she had not called the police.

She replied: “I was traumatised.”

French, of Ansell Avenue and Fleming of White Road, both in Chatham, have denied murdering Mr Tierney.

The trial continues.