A MAN mouthed insults and sneered at a witness from the public gallery during a crown court trial, a jury was told.

Phillip Glenn Cordwell, 48, formerly of Castle Close in Dorchester, denies intimidating Vicki Jane Button as she tried to give evidence during a trial involving his wife.

Stephen Dent, prosecuting, told Dorchester Crown Court that the incident occurred during a trial in the same court room on April 17 this year when Marie Tresa Cordwell was being tried for assaulting Mrs Button, who was the Cordwells' neighbour.

He said that Mrs Button was giving her evidence when the jury had to leave the court so that legal issues could be discussed.

At this point Mrs Button caught the attention of the prosecutor Martin Lanchester and told him that Cordwell was intimidating her from the gallery.

She then told the court: "Mr Cordwell is laughing his head off at me and is sniggering at me. It's making me really upset. I'm willing to give my evidence. I would just rather he was removed from the court room."

The public gallery was closed, Cordwell was removed and the trial then continued.

However, moments later the jury had to be discharged after one juror passed a note to the judge saying he had also seen the incident.

Mr Dent said: "The key point is that Vicki Button told the court she had been intimidated at a time when the jury had been asked to leave.

"There is no way they could have known about what was going on and yet, independently, one of the jurors then told the usher that they had seen something going on."

Speaking in evidence, Mrs Button told the court: "I glanced around me briefly, I looked at the glass box and at the gallery and I noticed Mr Cordwell was saying a few things to me under his breath and laughing and sneering at me.

"First of all I was shocked and scared. I didn't want to continue - I couldn't believe what was happening.

"I kept glancing away and every time I did glance back he was staring at me. I was really shocked, I started trembling, I remember going really cold and I just kept shaking.

"In the end I just started crying, I couldn't help it."

Cordwell now lives in Emmerson Place, Shiremoor, Newcastle-upon- Tyne.

Neil Hinton, representing Cordwell, said: "He accepts he may have looked in your direction.

"He does not accept that he stared at you in an evil fashion and he didn't mouth anything at you or laugh, sneer or snigger."

The case continues.