A MAN denied attacking a tenant in the street while acting as an enforcer over rent arrears, a court heard.

Tahir Ali is accused of jumping out of a car and punching Thangaperumal Rajasingh twice in the face while an unknown attacker hit him with a cricket bat.

Mr Rajasingh had moved into a house in Marston Street owned by Ali’s family in 2013, and was paying £325 a month in rent, Oxford Crown Court heard.

Prosecuting, Dominic Benthall said that 35-year-old Ali had been acting as an enforcer for his father, Riasat, when a month’s rent was not paid.

He said: “You said to him ‘where’s the rent, where’s the money?’ “Then you squared up to him and you punched him twice. At the same time the person you were with hit him on the back of the leg with a cricket bat.”

Mr Rajasingh was left with cuts to his face while the alleged pair of attackers fled after the assault in the early hours of June 6, last year.

The jury was shown text messages where Ali said he had “banged out a tenant” by punching them three times, and allegedly hammered on Mr Rajasingh’s door.

Mr Benthall read out texts between Ali and his older brother, which he claimed showed Ali had agreed to deal with “unruly” tenants for his older brother.

Ali, of Howard Street, denied attacking Mr Rajasingh and said the texts to his brother were banter. He added: “It’s just our way of talking to each other.”

Ali denies one count of wounding with intent to cause GBH and one count of GBH. The trial continues.