Emmerdale actor ‘bit man after row in beer garden about daughter’

Emmerdale actor Mark Jordon "lost his temper" and bit a man following a row in a beer garden about his daughter, a court has heard.

The former Heartbeat star, 54, appeared at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court accused of affray, unlawfully wounding 68-year-old Andrew Potts and assault by beating of Mr Potts's partner Rosalind O'Neill.

The court heard the actor, who plays Daz Spencer in the Yorkshire-based soap, allegedly attacked Mr Potts on July 1 last year following a row outside the Farrars Arms in Oldham, where Jordon was celebrating his engagement to partner and co-star Laura Norton.

Robert Smith, prosecuting, told the jury: "What should have been a pleasant summer's evening unfortunately took a turn for the worse when Rosalind O'Neill made a comment about Mark Jordon's daughter."

He said Miss O'Neill said "I hope they're using a condom", referring to Jordon's daughter and a man she was with, which prompted Jordon to approach the couple.

"The Crown say the defendant, by this stage of the evening, was clearly intoxicated and became increasingly irate during the course of the discussion with Miss O'Neill and Andrew Potts," Mr Smith said.

CCTV footage played in court showed Jordon being held back from Mr Potts, at one point by his hair.

Mr Smith said: "It is clear from the footage we have just seen that the defendant was enraged and was behaving in a physically violent and threatening matter."

The court heard Mr Potts also punched and kicked Jordon, who sustained a bloody nose in the scuffle, but the fight ended when the pensioner was ushered away from the pub.

Mr Smith said minutes after Mr Potts and Miss O'Neill left the beer garden, Jordon got in a taxi and headed in their direction.

Mobile phone footage, from Jordon's phone, showed the actor approaching them after getting out of the taxi.

Mr Potts was heard saying "Emmerdale" while Jordon spoke about being kicked by him.

Mr Smith said: "What the Crown say happened following that piece of footage is that he attacked Andrew Potts, biting him to the face."

Jordon is alleged to have pushed Miss O'Neill to the floor and also bitten Mr Potts's thumb before police arrived and he was arrested.

In police interview, Jordon said Mr Potts had called his daughter a "slag" and claimed he got in the taxi to go home but saw the couple walking back towards the pub and was worried about what Mr Potts was going to do.

Mr Smith told the jury of eight men and four women the issue in the case would be whether Jordon was acting in self-defence.

He said: "This defendant's ultimate response to the grievance with Andrew Potts in terms of what had gone on in the beer garden earlier that evening was well above and beyond what was reasonable in the circumstances."

Jordon was accompanied to court by girlfriend Norton, 36, who plays Kerry Wyatt in the soap.

Nick Miles, who plays Jimmy King, was also at court to support the actor.

After the jury was sworn in, Judge Mark Savill said they may recognise Jordon because he was an actor.

He said: "That is irrelevant. You try this case on the evidence that you see in this court and you hear, not who somebody is or what their job is."

Jordon, of Tamewater Court, Dobcross, Oldham, denies all the charges.

The case was adjourned until Tuesday.