Tanis Bhandari murder: Accused go on trial

A New Year's Day attack in which a builder was killed was "a scene of carnage" and "violence for the sake of violence", a court has heard.

Tanis Bhandari, 27, was stabbed trying to protect his friend, Plymouth Crown Court was told.

Donald Pemberton, 21, and Ryan Williams, 22, deny murdering Mr Bhandari.

Their trial was told he was wounded in the back after meeting the two men, who were armed with a knife and axe.

Tanis Bhandari left the King's Arms as part of a group in Tamerton Foliot at about 1:30 GMT to head for a party, when they came across Donald Pemberton and Ryan Williams, who were "looking for trouble.", the jury was told.

Police carried out searches in the area around the pub

Simon Laws, prosecuting, said: "The group leaving the King's Arms were complete strangers to them. They attacked them for no reason at all.

"It was violence for the sake of violence. They left behind a scene of carnage."

They had approached another group outside the pub when a knife was allegedly held to the face of one man, but the group walked away and called 999.

"As that call was still in progress, the group of friends could hear screams coming from the direction of the Kings Arms. Those screams were because the defendants had begun their attack," said Mr Laws.

Mr Pemberton of Tattenhoe Street, Milton Keynes, and Mr Williams of Haydon Grove, St Budeaux, also deny three counts each of wounding with intent and one count each of actual bodily harm in relation to four other men who were injured.

The case continues.