A rugby star told a court he feared he was going to be killed by nightclub bouncers who stamped on his head '30 times' and tried to gouge his eyes out.

Former Salford Red Devils player Luke Adamson, 26, was allegedly beaten by up to twelve doormen from Deansgate Locks venue Sugar Buddha, after he and his brother, Tobias Adamson, 23 also a former Salford City Reds player, were escorted from the bar following a row over a drink.

It is alleged that the attack left Mr Adamson drifting in and out of consciousness – and at the height of it, a bouncer jumped from a bench onto the League player's head as he was held down by two other doormen.

Sugar Buddha's head bouncer at the time, Richard Vaccari, 49, of Heald Green, is alleged to have taken part in the attack and denies attempting to cause grievous bodily harm in a Manchester Crown Court trial.

Mr Adamson, who currently plays for Halifax, told the court that the attack went from 'punching and blows to really malicious, dirty, horrible fighting.'

“They said we're gonna kill you...there's nothing you can do. I thought they're gonna kill me if they keep stamping on my head", he said.

The charge Mr Vaccari faces concerns a period when Luke Adamson had been restrained, with bouncers using 'excessive' violence, Mike Brady, prosecuting, alleged. He told the jury that before this this there was a period when the Adamsons behaved 'aggressively' when they had the chance to walk away.

Luke Adamson told the jury that he and his brother had ended up at Sugar Buddha on the evening of July 1, 2012, after watching the Stone Roses play at Heaton Park .

“We were having a really nice, relaxed night...we having a pretty quiet night anyway, we were still drinking, but I was training in the morning”, he said.

But the pair found themselves escorted from the bar after a 'regular' complained that Tobias Adamson 'robbed his' drink, the court heard.

“There was no reason for us to take another man's drink”, Luke Adamson said. “I would have bought him a drink if I had known what was going to follow at the time. It was a nightmare after that.”

Mr Adamson said he and his brother had decided to leave and were 'happy to go' when they were escorted out in the early hours.

He said Tobias was ten metres ahead of him when a doorman grabbed his arm and said 'your mate's getting a kicking', and that when got outside, he saw his brother lying on the floor as he was kicked and punched by two men, ran to his aid, and began fighting in a 'defensive manner' after bouncers 'swarmed'.

Later in the fight however, Luke Adamson ended up on the floor.

“I realised they were stamping on my head...I could just feel them kneeing and stamping on the back of my legs..felt them on my neck and my shoulders", he said.

“They pulled my hands apart..I just felt my head smash the floor and blood started pouring down my eye....the men started to grab my fingers, trying to snap my fingers. I was shouting for help. At some point people kept trying to gouge my eyes.



"They kept trying to pull my ears and rip them as hard as they could. I felt if I could just protect my head being stamped on... I thought if they rip my ear they rip it – I've had injuries like that in rugby before. But if I can at least protect my skull then that's the main thing.”

Proceeding

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