THE JURY heard a statement from one witness who said the moment she saw one of the accused near the Tamerton Foliot green she thought "oh no, there's going to be trouble".
A statement of Rebecca Edmonson – girlfriend of Matthew Horton, whose friend William Hickey had a knife held to his face – was read to the jury by prosecutor Simon Laws.
She said a man on the footpath was "not dressed as if he was going out. He was chavvy, not like other people around at the time who were celebrating New Year's Eve."
She said she did not want to make eye contact with the man after he shouted "what you looking at" at her group.
Another witness, Lucy Hunter, girlfriend of Mr Hickey, also recalled someone shouting "what the **** are you looking at". As she and Mr Hickey walked on she said another man approached them "and pulled out a knife from a pocket".
She said he held the "six inch" knife up to her boyfriends face and "said something along the lines of 'Oi, my mate was ****ing talking to you'"
She said she felt: "Very frightened, very uneasy. I just wanted to get home and be in a safe environment".
Witness Joanne Griffiths told the jury she was driving home from The Kings Arms and encountered two men in Whitsoncross Lane. One jumped out at her car with his hands up and attempted to kick her car.
Area where Joanne Griffiths encountered the accused - photo credit Google Street Maps
She said the man's eyes were "wide and dark and he had no emotion to it really, he just stared at me for seconds, but it felt like a long time"
As she drove on, she saw the man and another in her rear view mirror, gesturing.
She said: "He was going down the road, really pumped up, his arms out at the sides. It was a bit 'look at me'. His fists clenched reminded me of a Noel Gallagher 'look at me, here I am' going down the road."
She later identified the man who jumped out on her as Pemberton.
Witness Darren Cotter was walking up the hill and encountered the defendants by the May Fong Chinese takeaway.
May Fong takeaway, in Fore Street where Darren Cotter encountered the accused - photo credit Google Street Maps
He said a man he later identified as Pemberton demanded "do you have a ****ing cigarette". When he said he did not, he said Pemberton waved his arms and in a "really aggressive" manner replied "do you know who the **** I am?"
Mr Cotter said he had worked in Union Street in the past and "tried to diffuse the situation" by replying he thought he did recognise him.
Mr Cotter said the incident was "frankly frightening", suggesting "I think he was looking for trouble, to be frank."
Both defendants deny the charges. The trial continues.