Terry 'hit bouncer with bottle'

The defendants sat next to each other as the court heard that much of the incident had been captured on CCTV. The jury was told that doorman Trevor Thirlwall suffered "an explosion of pain" in his eye when he was hit with the bottle that "miraculously" did not break.

"It is terrifying to think what could have happened if it had," Mr Donne said.

The footballers had been in the club for two hours that night and their behaviour had become so bad a manager, Sasha Keegan, had to speak to them, he added.

She saw Morris spit his drink onto the floor and stagger back against the wall as if he was going to be sick. After she asked if he was all right he followed her back to the bar and screamed at her: "F... off !"

The manager asked the trio to leave and a doorman was called but it became clear to them that Morris was "winding himself up into an aggressive mood". It was then he taunted Thirlwall about his earnings and followed this with: "Do you know who we are? We could get you sacked."

Staff at the club "politely but firmly" ushered the footballers out of the door but by now Byrne was being abusive to Thirlwall, telling him he was "going to get it" and saying: "Do you want some?"

The police were called but before they arrived the footballers burst back in through the door. The melee that followed was captured on CCTV.

The struggle continued outside. Thirlwall put his hands up to try to calm Terry down but the Chelsea player swung what the doorman thought was punch at him - in fact he had been hit with a bottle.

"Thirlwall immediately felt what he described in a statement as an explosion of pain in his eye followed by a loss of vision," Mr Donne said. "What he had not seen but others had was that John Terry had a bottle in the hand with which he struck him."

Although the bottle did not break, Thirlwall was badly cut. Mr Donne said: "The mood of the attackers is perhaps best illustrated by what happened next. "As the injured and defenceless Thirlwall was helped into the club at least one bottle was thrown at them, smashing on the wall and the ground."

Interviewed by police the following day, Terry said he and his friends had done nothing to deserve being told to leave the club.

He claimed there had been a "little scuffle" which he had tried to break up.

Morris, who had also been arrested, refused to answer police questions.

Mr Donne said both Byrne and Terry threatened and used unlawful violence and they were helped by Morris who " wound them up" before taking part in the brawl himself.

All three men were now claiming they acted in self defence.

Mr Donne told the jury: "You will have to decide whether there is any truth in that claim or whether it is a fabricated attempt to justify their unlawful conduct.

"The Crown says here that each of these men acted disgracefully and unlawfully that night and when confronted with their behaviour and the evidence of it they had little option but to lie even when the truth was played out before their eyes."

The case continues.