A JURY was shown film footage of "four minutes of total mayhem" as a trial opened against eight people involved in a frightening pub disturbance.

Benji Bolsenbroek, who was out celebrating the birth of his child, died one-and-a-half hours after the violence at The Park Hotel in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough.

Seven men and one woman deny a charge of violent disorder, while a further eight have admitted the same charge arising from the incident last October.

Those on trial - all from Middlesbrough unless stated - are: Paul Kime, 26, of Daleville Road, Beechwood; his brother Michael Kime, 28, of Lambton Road, Grove Hill; Vicki Kilpatrick, 25, of Woodville Avenue, Beechwood; Anthony Conway, 24, of Barberry, Coulby Newham; Blaine McCarthy, 22, of Blackhall Sands, Acklam; Benjamin Jones, 24, of Hesleden Avenue, Acklam; Juston Heward, 24, of Harrow Road, Linthorpe; and Mr Bolsenbroek's brother, Cain Conroy, 37, of Slaley Close, New Marske, east Cleveland.

Prosecutor Ian West told Teesside Crown Court yesterday (Monday, November 17): "Each of these eight in the dock have played a part in that disorder you have seen, the Crown say.

"I make it clear that the Crown do not seek to attribute, in this trial, any responsibility for Mr Bolsenbroek's death to anyone of these defendants."

The closed circuit television camera footage - in the early hours of October 6 - showed a large-scale battle in the bar between two groups of revellers.

Mr Bolsenbroek, 23, and Paul Kime appeared to be at the centre of it, said Mr West, but many others joined in, throwing pool balls and glasses.

The video showed one man lifting a table above his head before bringing it crashing down, while others were seen using chairs to hit people or to throw.

Paul Kime is seen bare-chested "effectively parading around the bar in a somewhat triumphalist manner, raising his hands as though he has achieved something", said Mr West.

"How did the trouble kick off? There may be some conflicting views about that. You will hear from a number of witnesses and see the CCTV footage.

"The footage doesn't actually capture the first blow, the first act of actual violence, but it does appear to show Paul Kime entering the bar area, walking in an apparently determined fashion, towards the corner of the bar where Mr Bolsenbroek and some of his friends were assembled. You will see that trouble breaks out in that corner.

"There will be a dispute, I have no doubt, in this case, between the various defendants as to who is responsible for the trouble breaking out, who threw the first blow, but it is apparent that it was a spark which ignited the flame of approximately four minutes of total mayhem."

Mr West said the defendants will admit being at the pub, but will either argue that they were defending themselves or another, and used reasonable force.