THREE men smashed bottles in a shopkeeper’s face and over his head during an Ipswich street attack over a £14,000 family debt, a court heard.

Kallyugan Nallathamby, 27, of St Osyth Road, Clacton, Karunanidhy Nallathamby, 33, of Ellis Road, Clacton, and Thamathash Theivendram, 38, of St Osyth Road, Clacton, have all denied grievous bodily harm on Niruban Amirthalingham.

At the opening of their Ipswich Crown Court trial the jury was told all the men were cousins by marriage.

Mr Amirthalingham was working in his shop Multi Off Licence in Upper Orwell Street on June 13 last year when the incident began.

Prosecutor Mark Roochove told the court Mr Amirthalingham had lent money to Theivendram’s wife which had not been repaid.

Things began to get out of hand when Mr Amirthalingham began to chase the debt.

Theivendram believed his wife had been insulted during a phone call by Mr Amirthalingham and was said to have come to Ipswich with the Nallathambys arriving at the off-licence at about 11.50pm.

While Theivendram entered the shop only to be shouted at by Mr Amirthalingham, who was worried he would be attacked, the Nallathambys remained outside.

The court heard Mr Amirthalingham went outside followed by Theivendram, and picked up a metal pole used to close the shop’s shutters.

As he tried to go over to the kebab shop across the road to call for help Mr Amirthalingham was set upon and fell to the floor.

When he attempted to get up he felt a blow to the back of the head and heard the sound of glass smashing. Another blow followed and Mr Amirthalingham could feel blood as he held his head in his hands.

The jury was told one of the Nallathambys then held Mr Amirthalingham’s hands behind his head while he was hit in the face by another bottle.

Mr Roochove said a taxi driver witnessed what happened and shouted to the men to stop saying “you are going to kill him”.

The men got in a van and drove off, despite the taxi driver trying to block their way with his car.

He pursued the van and called police who intercepted the trio’s van at the Copdock interchange, the court heard.

The case continues.