A JURY has heard that a man was allegedly attacked with a wine glass by a homeless man who he had ‘taken pity on’ and invited home.

Cameron O’Malley-Richardson, 29, is on trial at Oxford Crown Court charged with one count of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and an alternative charge of unlawful wounding. 

He is accused of being invited into a man’s home in Ashbury, near Swindon, in the early hours of August 5 last year after the complainant had taken pity on the defendant who was homeless at the time.

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A jury heard that the pair had been drinking with their partners when a ‘scuffle’ took place and O’Malley-Richardson is accused of hitting the man over the head with a wine glass, causing five head wounds.

O’Malley-Richardson told police he hadn’t hit the complainant but had instead pushed him in self-defence and the man had fallen and hit his head on an ashtray.

The trial, which is expected to last three to four days, started on Monday (June 10).

During the opening, it was heard that O’Malley-Richardson had met the complainant late on August 4 and had told him he was homeless.

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The alleged victim took pity as he himself had been homeless before. So he invited O’Malley-Richardson and his girlfriend back to his home.

There they were ‘all drinking alcohol and socialising’ except for the complainant’s partner who remained sober.

The court heard that was a ‘petty disagreement’ and the defendant allegedly hit his host with a shoe.

There was ‘another scuffle’ where the complainant pushed O’Malley-Richardson backwards before the defendant allegedly ‘punched him’ in the head and struck him with the wine glass.

O’Malley-Richardson and his partner quickly left the property and an ambulance was called for the complainant who was taken to Great Western Hospital before being taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital.

He had five wounds to his head and a fractured skull. He needed surgery several days after being hospitalised due to the skull fracture.

O’Malley-Richardson was arrested on August 27 after police caught him sitting on a bench in Ashbury.

He told police the complainant had become ‘aggressive’ towards him and was allegedly hitting him with a flip-flop.

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O’Malley-Richardson, now of Mere, Wiltshire, claims he then pushed the man back in self-defence and he hit his head on an ashtray which was by the sofa. He denied hitting him with a wine glass.

He then told officers the complainant had ‘got up immediately’ and ran upstairs.

The trial continues.