But Richard Harrison (32) said he did so because he wanted to protect his housemate’s girlfriend and because he did not want his name in the newspaper.Harrison denies committing a grave and criminal assault on Daniel Devenny on 4 April 1999 outside Stampers, La Neuve Route, St Aubin, St Brelade.This morning in the Royal Court Assize trial both counsels were summing up their cases to the jury before the Deputy Bailiff, Michael Birt, was due to summarise the facts.It is agreed that Harrison and two friends came into contact with Devenny, his girlfriend and another couple after each party had been drinking on Easter Sunday.After some arguing, a fight broke out with Devenny eventually needing hospital treatment for a number of kicks to his right eye.Giving evidence yesterday, Harrison said that it was he who was kicked and punched to the floor and the prosecution’s witnesses who saw otherwise ‘must be mistaken or lying’.’I was walking away from the scuffle when Devenny jumped me and then kicked and punched me while I was on the floor.
Once somebody had pulled him off me I got up and walked towards town to get my car,’ he said.But under cross-examination by Crown Advocate Stephen Baker, Harrison admitted lying to investigating police officers when first questioned about the incident.But when defence Advocate Nuno Santos Costa called his second and last witness, Richard Chapman, he said that he was ‘absolutely certain’ he saw Devenny kicking and punching Harrison.
He said that he watched Harrison get up and walk up the hill towards the railway walk.Today the jury were expected to retire before lunch and reach a verdict this afternoon.
