By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 12:46, Saturday, 20 February 2010

A bare-knuckle fighter known as the “King of the Gipsies” gave police the names of eight men who he said had attacked him with knives and machetes at a Cumbrian horse event, it was claimed in court.

But Louis Welch, 40, refused to provide a written statement to help police bring his attackers to justice because it was against the Travellers’ code, a jury at Carlisle Crown Court heard.

Mr Welch, of Yarm on Teesside, suffered severe wounds to his arm and back – some of them so deep they exposed his muscle – when he was repeatedly “hacked” near the beer tent at a harness racing event near Appleby last Whitsun Bank Holiday Monday.

Although there were up to 3,000 people at the event – a prelude to the town’s historic horse fair – none of them could give detailed descriptions of the attackers.

But, the court heard, when a police officer spoke to him in Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary two days after the attack, Mr Welch told him the names of the eight men he said were responsible.

Det Con Steven Lacey said Mr Welch had named Alex Varey, his father John Varey, other relatives Frank Varey, Adolphus Varey senior and Adolphus Varey junior, and George Miller and two others he believed were also called Miller.

Under cross examination from defence counsel Kenneth Hind, Det Con Lacey said he had never met Mr Welch before and could not explain why he had chosen to give him the names of his attackers when he had refused to do so to three other police officers, including Inspector Lee Skelton, of Appleby, whom he had known for four years.

“He decided to open up to you, a complete stranger, but refused to do so to anyone else?” Mr Hind asked.

Det Con Lacey was giving evidence on the fifth day of the trial of Alex Varey, 19, and George Miller, 18, who have pleaded not guilty to wounding Mr Welch with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

The pair, both from Clare Road, Lancaster, were charged after their fingerprints were found on machetes found discarded at the scene of the attack on May 25 last year.

The prosecution says that the forensic evidence is supported by analysis of mobile phones believed to be Varey and Miller’s, which, it says, shows they had been in the Appleby area at the time of the attack, even though they said they had not been.

The trial continues.

First published at 09:02, Saturday, 20 February 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk