THE brother of Jimmy Mizen, who was with him when he had his throat cut during a row in a bakery, has told the jury of seeing blood flying across the shop floor.

Harry Mizen, aged 19, of Dallinger Road, Lee, spoke at the Old Bailey for the first time this morning while his mother Margaret wept in court at hearing the distressing evidence.

He said his brother was "the sort of boy who would look after himself but he would never go out looking for trouble."

Giving evidence, Mr Mizen said he watched defendant Jake Fahri, aged 19, hurl a glass dish full of sausages "from no more than a metre" and with both hands.

He said: "I saw Jake throw the dish but I didn't actually see it hit Jimmy. I turned around and saw loads of blood flying around. The boy (Jake Fahri) then ran away and I don't remember him say anything."

Mr Mizen also described two encounters with Fahri in 2001 and then 2003. In the first he claims he was punched in the stomach by the defendant after refusing to give him money. The court heard how he eventually handed over 20p.

Two years later he says Fahri approached him again and said "you grassed on me to your mum", before kicking him in the legs as he fled into a nearby shop.

On cross examination, defence lawyer Sally O'Neill suggested that Harry and Jimmy Mizen used excessive force to bundle Fahri out of the shop after he had thrown drinks bottles at them in the Three Cooks bakery in Lee on May 10 last year.

Ms O'Neill also claimed that Mr Mizen should not have got involved in the row which began when Jimmy refused to move out of Fahri's way until he said "please".

She said: "You and Jimmy punched Jake hard and many times. You were trying to teach him a lesson", adding "you didn't need to get involved."

Mr Mizen replied: "We were trying to protect ourselves. He is my younger brother - I had to do something."

Mr Mizen had previously told the court how he was scared and tried to calm the situation down by suggesting Fahri simply say please.

He continued: "Jake then approached me and pointed towards me with a car key. He pointed it right into my face. He said that he remembered me. It was aggressive. He said he remembered me from an incident and I grassed on him to the police. When he mentioned that I recognised him."

The defendant was said to have gone outside telling the brothers he was going to give them a "slap" when they left the shop.

When he spotted Harry Mizen using his mobile telephone to call for help, he went back in and threw bottles at them, the prosecution claim. The brothers retaliated, repeatedly punching him before bundling him out of the shop.

Fahri was then said to have smashed his way back in before throwing the Pyrex-style dish at Jimmy.

Jimmy Mizen died when his jugular was cut after the dish hit him in the neck.

Fahri, of Milborough Crescent, Lee, denies murder and says he was acting in self-defence.

The trial continues.