A court has heard that a double stabbing which took place in a disused pub occurred after one of the victims exposed his penis and hit a defendant with a baseball bat.

Three Romanian men are standing trial for the stabbing, which occurred in the former Burn Bullock pub in London Road, Mitcham, on October 12 last year.

The prosecution allege the defendants, Vasile Vartolemei, 28, of Guildford Road, Croydon, Laura Buraciuc, 27, of Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath, and Claudiu Buraciuc, 24, of no known address, acted in a joint enterprise to stab Marian Bacila and his son Ionut Ilie, who both suffered non-fatal wounds.

All three are charged with grievous bodily harm and grievous bodily harm with intent. All three deny the charges against them.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, October 6, Ionut Ilie, who was stabbed in the back during the attack, denied an accusation his father had exposed himself to Ms Buraciuc, and that he had screamed that he was going to rape her.

Yusuf Solley, defending Mr Buraciuc, put it to Ionut Ilie that his denial was an attempt to distance himself from irresponsible behaviour.

Mr Solley went on to suggest that Mr Buraciuc had tried to intervene, and had been pushed into a chair by Ionut Ilie before Mr Bacila attacked him with a baseball bat, causing a head injury. Ionut Ilie denied this.

Inout Ilie also denied that the group was squatting in the Burn Bullock, insisting that they paid rent to a landlord.

Inout Ilie’s wife, Gabriella Ancuta Iroftei, who was nine months pregnant at the time of the stabbing, gave evidence to Kingston Crown Court on Friday, October 9.

Although she initially denied that her husband had been drinking in the kitchen with the defendants, on being shown mobile phone footage of him dancing with them she accepted that he may have been there without her knowledge.

Mr Devithis, defending Mr Vartolemei, suggested that she was lying to the jury and "making this up as you go along" after highlighting inconsistencies between her evidence and her police statement.

Ms Iroftei said: "When I saw Ionut was dying and I was pregnant in the ninth month, can you imagine the kind of fear I was in? I can’t remember exactly my statement.

"When I saw my hands full of blood I was next to Ionut. I was holding him in my arms and I was screaming."

The trial continues.