20-year-old Somerset resident was cross examined yesterday by Wellman's lawyer, Lawrence Scott.

Wellman is accused of intentionally wounding and causing grievous bodily harm to David Cox while at the Devonshire Recreation Club in October, 2000. He denies the charge.

The prosecution, led by Crown counsel Juan Wolfe, put its case to the four-woman, eight-man jury yesterday morning.

The jury heard the alleged victim David Cox, currently a prison inmate, was socialising at the Devonshire Recreation Club on October 21 when three men, including Wellman entered the premises.

Wellman exchanged words with one of Cox's friends, and soon after the three men had drawn knives and set upon the friend.

Cox testified that he then ran to his friend's assistance and tried to stop the fighting -- only to have two of the attackers turn on him.

He managed to disarm one of the men but was stabbed in the chest area by Wellman, he said.

He said that he was bleeding profusely and ran from the area while asking a friend to call the ambulance.

Cox suffered a punctured left lung.

Photographs of Cox's injuries were shown to the court.

Mr. Scott sought to show that Cox's testimony could not be true, suggesting that he was too influenced by drugs and alcohol to have been fully aware of what was happening.

Mr. Scott also suggested that there was poor visibility and too many distractions in the area in which the fight occurred for him to say with certainty how the events unfolded.

"You have no idea at all how you got stabbed -- or who stabbed you,'' said Mr. Scott. "Yes. I do'', responded Cox, a Westgate resident.

He further suggested to Cox that he had provoked the fight and was fully involved in it, as opposed to trying to stop it.

Cox, who had several supporters in the public gallery, consistently denied the lawyer's suggestions.