Finnish exchange student used as bait to lure Wednesbury attack victim, court told

Victim Deon Bolding, aged 21, exchanged numbers with the girl whom he met at Wednesbury's Woden Inn before he headed onto the town's Turks Head pub on May 11.

The next day, he received a series of text messages from two different numbers which made out they came from the same 'blondie' and he arranged to meet her at the scrubland behind The Woden Inn, where he was attacked.

He was left critically ill as he suffered a suppressed fracture on the right side of his skull and needed an operation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham which included fitting a plate. Muhammed Abu, of Grindleford Road, Great Barr, aged 20, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm at a hearing on October 21. He admits wielding the silver bar.

Mr Shane Crawford, said the Crown's case was that the attack was a joint enterprise between Abu and Nathan Taylor, of St Ives Road, Park Hall, Walsall, and a 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Taylor, 18, and the 17-year-old both deny inflicting grievous bodily harm.

At 12.55am on May 12, Taylor flagged down a police car driven by Sgt Gary Capewell and reported his black Vauxhall Corsa car had been broken into while it was parked near The Turks Head pub.

Sgt Capewell's evidence stated that Taylor said £1,000 in cash he had hidden in the glove compartment – with which he intended to pay back his mother for his car insurance – had been stolen.

Taylor allegedly believed Bolding was the culprit. Mr Crawford said it was agreed Taylor placed the weapon used in the attack in the garage of his parents' home as well as the baseball cap and jacket Abu had worn. Taylor and the 17-year-old deny the violence was planned.

The Finnish exchange student is not charged with any offences and was expected to give evidence today.

The trial continues.