A JURY has heard how a Hereford teenager was left for dead following a revenge attack.

Daren Loader’s friends attacked two Lithuanians in a subway because they were foreigners, heard Worcester Crown Court. But the 17- year-old from Whitecross was alone to pay the price when their victims returned.

Andrej Mackevic, aged 28, of no fixed address, has denied murdering the teenager and causing grievous bodily harm on March 12, 2009.

Virunas Kalasnikovas, aged 23, of Martin Street, has admitted both charges.

The court heard that the pair spent the day drinking with a friend in the city centre. Stephen Linehan QC, prosecuting, said they left their friend around 9pm before crossing the Great Western Way.

The pair later heard shouting in the underpass beneath Whitecross Road and feared their friend was in trouble. But they were “quickly”

attacked by three friends of Daren Loader.

“These young men recognised these two were foreigners and took against them,” said Mr Linehan.

“The defendant (Mackevic) was tripped or fell and was struck, and he was bleeding from his injuries.”

Mr Linehan said the victims were “enraged” and collected a plank from a Whitecross house seeking revenge. They attacked Daren and Rebecca Griffiths, then aged 16, while another girl escaped and raised the alarm.

Miss Griffiths, now 18, said Daren had been “wobbling about” and was drunk. She denied his friends had surrounded the Lithuanians, and said that Daren was not involved, having told the pair to go away.

Miss Griffiths said the pair returned with a plank of wood and punched Daren to the ground. She managed to run away but suffered a broken arm after being “punched and dragged” to the ground.

The court heard on Friday that witnesses saw two dark-clothed men walk towards the subway around 10pm. Cyclist Stephen Harris told the court he saw two men – one carrying a “long, thin object” – approach the subway.

Mr Harris admitted being wary of passing the youngsters, as their voices were raised and the male was drinking.

Another cyclist, Darren Harris, found Daren’s body in the underpass after the girls went for help.

“There was a bottle of cider lying by his side and I thought he was drunk – but I could see there was blood,” said Mr Harris. “I reached down and got him on his right-hand side but there was no response.”

The court heard that Daren was effectively braindead from the injuries and died the next day.

Another witness, Diana McClusky, said she passed two men near Gladstone Drive who were “pumpedup”

and talking in a foreign language.

“There was a lot of anger around them,” said Mrs McClusky. “I couldn't understand what they were saying, but every now and then they would say ‘sorry’, as if they were quoting someone else and making fun of them.”

Mackevic denies the charges and the case continues on April 19.