A VILLAGE pub karaoke night hit a low note when violence flared between a singer and an unappreciative member of the audience.

Durham Crown Court heard that Thomas Lowther performed several numbers during the Saturday night karaoke at the Black Swan, in Staindrop, County Durham.

Adrian Dent, prosecuting, told the court: “Mr Lowther, at least, seems to have been having a good time, but whether his audience was is quite another matter.”

Mr Dent said a man sitting near the bar, Paul George Denham, made a comment to Mr Lowther’s friend.

The court was told their paths crossed outside the pub, between 10.30pm and 11pm.

Mr Lowther went out for a cigarette and said he was confronted by Mr Denham, who was waiting for a lift home.

Giving evidence on the first day of Mr Denham’s trial, Mr Lowther said: “He got in my face and was quite verbal, generally swearing and being quite aggressive. I had done absolutely nothing wrong, whatsoever.

“I sort of said to him ‘look, there’s no problem, none of us have any problems’.”

Mr Lowther said he knew the man who arrived to pick up Mr Denham and asked him to tell him he wanted no trouble.

But Mr Lowther said the next thing he remembered was lying on the ground in a pool of blood, suffering pain in the side of his face.

He was taken to hospital with a fractured left cheekbone and facial lacerations, for which he has needed further treatment.

The 28-year-old football coach and local league player said he had to take time off work because he did not want to visit his schools with the injuries because it would give the wrong impression.

Mr Dent said Mr Denham was responsible for the injuries, landing a punch which knocked Mr Lowther to the ground where he kicked him in the head.

When Mr Denham was arrested, he said Mr Lowther had approached him, punched him and knocked him to his knees, so he landed one blow back in self-defence.

He also denied kicking Mr Lowther during the incident, on October 24, 2009.

Mr Denham, 48, of Eggleston Walk, St Helen Auckland, County Durtham, denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent and inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The trial continues today.