THREE brothers kicked a man "like a football" before turning on his girlfriend as she tried to shield him, a court heard.
The victim suffered severe internal bleeding and had to undergo emergency surgery following an attack outside Pizza Hut on X, last year.
One policewoman described the subsequent arrest of the brothers as the scariest moment of her career.
J, 25, J, 21, and J, 19, of XXXX, appeared in St Albans Crown Court last week charged with causing GBH with intent and affray.
The jury heard that in the early hours of Saturday, October 23, 2004, three shaven-headed men had repeatedly kicked Jonathon Ure as he lay on the ground.
Mr Ure quickly blacked out but his girlfriend, Kylie Herring, told the jury she had seen one man push him to the ground before kicking him at least 15 times.
"It was like he was kicking a football," she said.
"He had his arms back and was putting his whole body weight behind it."
Motionless
Several other 'skinheads' then joined in and continued to kick Mr Ure even after he had become motionless, she added.
"I screamed at them to leave my boyfriend alone," she said.
"When they wouldn't I actually covered my boyfriend with myself. I got kicked in the leg and the back."
The brothers were later arrested at the bus station on Osborn Way, after a bystander gave officers a description of the three attackers.
According to one officer, J (the oldest one) told him: "We had a ruck, so what?"
The court heard all three were verbally abusive and aggressive and J (the oldest one) had threatened to bite off one officer's ear. He later had to be threatened with CS gas.
Pc Stephanie Dixon told the court: "I've been in the force for three years and that evening was the first time I've ever been so scared."
However the brothers, who had each drunk around eight pints of lager, claimed they had only become aggressive as they had been given no reason for their arrest.
J and J both told the court they had left XXX pub, on Parkway, after J (2nd) had accused J (youngest) of "trying it on" with his girlfriend.
And they stressed they had not seen nor taken part in any fight outside Pizza Hut as they walked towards the bus station arguing.
J (oldest) admitted he had said "we've had a ruck" but claimed he was referring to his brothers' disagreement.
J (middle) declined to give evidence.
All three defendants deny the charges.
The jury was considering its verdict yesterday (Tuesday) as the paper went to press.
I have removed their names and the area because I don't know if anyone knows them on here.