THE EVIDENCE of a nightclubber who recognised two men he saw stamping on a murder victim's head, at identification parades, has been described as "peppered with gossip".

THE EVIDENCE of a nightclubber who recognised two men he saw stamping on a murder victim's head, at identification parades, has been described as "peppered with gossip".

David Lampin, 20, told a jury at Norwich Crown Court that he saw the August 14 attack inside and outside Kartouche in Ipswich, which led to Phil Hoi Phat Lui, 24, of Nacton Road – whose parents live in Felixstowe – dying in intensive care nine days later.

Mr Lampin, who was 19 at the time, said: "The Chinese man was covering his face with his hands. Lots of punches were landing around his head."

He said a group of four men attacked at first, then two.

Prosecutor John Caudle said Mr Lampin later picked out Steven Lowe and Lewis Carroll at identification parades.

Carroll, 32, of Crocus Close, Ipswich, and Lowe, 24, of Spring Road, Ipswich, deny murder. Toby Woods, 27, of Cosmeston Street, Cardiff denies violent disorder.

Mr Lampin said his friend Darryl Flora challenged "one of the two stocky men" to a fight outside Kartouche, after the initial incident with Mr Lui inside.

He said Mr Flora told the man: "I'm bigger, fight me."

He then saw the stocky man chasing another man – not Mr Flora – round the corner outside the club, then approach Mr Lui who was laying on his side, on the fire station side of Chancery Road, apparently being sick.

Mr Lampin said: "The man went down on his knees and grabbed hold of his head, put his head down to the same level, very very close and shook his head.

"I couldn't see exactly what was being done." This is when the prosecution allege Mr Lui's nose was bitten.

Mr Lampin, who accepted he was drunk at the time, later found Mr Flora in Norwich Road.

Defending Carroll, Courtenay Griffiths QC said: "Ever since this happened there have been lots of rumours and gossip flying around Ipswich about Lewis, including one rumour which said the Chinese man was bitten on the nose."

Lampin admitted people had been talking, and said police might have told him Carroll had been arrested before he made his statement or before he saw the identity parade, and added that 15 people talked together in a room before the parade.

He insisted the same man attacked Mr Lui both inside and outside the club, although in his statement to police he said he only saw the attacker outside.

Mr Griffiths said: "I suggest your evidence is contaminated by what you've been told by police and others. You picked out someone whose name was given to you and who you saw outside Kartouche and not inside."

Lampin replied: "Somebody giving you a name doesn't put a description in your head."

Mr Griffiths added: "I'm suggesting you peppered the account you gave the jury today with information picked up after the event." Mr Lampin said: "That's not true."

David Cox QC, defending Lowe, suggested Mr Lampin had discussed the matter with his friends before he went to the ID parade and Mr Lampin replied "no".

Fellow nightclubber Tom Blake told the jury he saw four men attack Mr Lui.

Mr Blake said he saw Toby Woods, who he knew worked at Brannigans nightclub and as a doorman at Pals, hold Mr Lui with an arm round his waist and across his chest but not choking or restraining him.

The court also heard from Stephen Gardiner, co-licensee of the Falcon pub at the time who saw Lowe with a friend called Sean drinking in the pub from 11.45am to 10.30pm on the day – apart from an hour.

The trial continues today.