FORMER fundraising boss Kevin Wright waved a metal chain at a wheel clamper, a court heard.

Wright, the former Bobby's Fund boss, is on trial before magistrates in Plymouth.

The 45-year-old, of Kenn, near Exeter, denies two charges of criminal damage and an assault charge relating to an incident in the early hours of Saturday, May 30, 2009.

Wright is accused of causing £70 damage to a wheel clamp and is also alleged to have assaulted self-employed clamper John Young and caused £629 damage to his white Citroen Berlingo.

Mr Young was working in Queen Street and placed the wheel clamp on a white Peugeot 205 that was parked outside Central Station with no ticket displayed, at about 11.30pm on May 29, 2009.

Giving evidence, Mr Young said two people came back to the vehicle and said they did not pay for a ticket but would rather "sort this out their own way".

He said: "I spoke to them but they were very firm in their opinion. I could then hear a grinding sound of metal being cut. This was being done by another man who was not one of the two I initially saw come over.

"I got a camera from my van and decided to get photographic evidence.

"The man turned around and threatened me and said he was going to brain damage me."

Mr Young said he then backed away and asked the doorman at nearby pub, The Angel, to call the police.

He said the man took about 10 minutes to cut the clamp off the car and then left it on the floor.

One of the men then drove off in the Peugeot while the other two hung about while he started to put the clamp back in the van.

Mr Young said: "I was then approached by Kevin Wright who tried to justify why he had cut the clamp off.

"He was muttering something about being clamped before and swore at me saying he was going to kill me.

"He walked off, away from the incident but then doubled back to where the chain was and picked it up and started walking towards me.

"He was gesturing with a whipping action. At first I could not believe what I was seeing, as I had never spoken one word to him before this incident.

"I thought he was going to give me my chain back, but when he started whipping it, I realised it was not what I thought.

"He circled the van with the chain and smashed it on the side of the van and then did the same to the other side.

"I thought I would be next. He was cold and calculated and I thought I was going to be hit with the chain.

"He moved towards me and I had to defend myself.

"He lifted his arm up and I got in first and kicked him in the stomach, pushed him to the ground and fled on foot."

Police did not attend the incident.

Mr Young said he went to the police station to report it within a couple of days. Wright was arrested on June 16.

Cross examining Mr Young, Wright questioned why no picture of the damage was taken, and described it as minor.

He also produced several front pages of the Echo, in which he was featured, and claimed he was being conspired against.

Christopher Lowe, the doorman who was working at The Angel pub at the time of the incident, said he saw sparks flying from the wheel of the car and they looked like fireworks.

He said he could hear a grinding noise. He said he saw what looked like Wright swinging something at Mr Young and heard a cranking noise.

He said: "Because of the commotion I went over to intervene, and Wright started shouting out at one of my colleagues saying 'what are you going to do about it old man'.

"I stepped in and he walked away, got in his car and drove off."

Bystander Richard Park had been drinking in the city centre and passed by the scene at around 1am.

He said: "I first saw some sparks and went closer to see what was going on.

"I saw him try to remove the clamp and it must have taken him 10 or 15 minutes to do."

Mr Park said a group of around 20 people gathered to watch the commotion.

He saw Wright pick up the chain and try swinging it towards Mr Young. He then saw Wright hit the van with the chain.

The trial was adjourned until August 12.