Two Airbnb guests were run over by an SUV and chased down the street with a machete after a row over a double-booked home, a court has heard.
Abdalrhman Ali and Ryan Jones had booked a weekend at the home called ‘Comfortable Stay’ after spotting it on the holiday lettings site.
But when they arrived at the home in the Cathays area of Cardiff they found that Johnathan Newbury, 33, and Elliott Fiteni, 23, were already there.
Mr Ali and Mr Jones were warned by a woman that Fiteni and Newbury would ‘bomb’ at them, Cardiff Crown Court heard on Monday.
‘The meaning of this term became clear from what then happened,’ prosecutor James Wilson told the court.
Mr Wilson said a black SUV arrived carrying four or five men, at least one of whom was clutching a zombie style machete when they got out.
CCTV footage showed the men chasing Mr Jones and Mr Ali away with one of the pursuers heard shouting: ‘I’m going to f***ing rip these little f***ers up.’
As Mr Jones and Mr Ali and two other friends walking along a nearby road the black SUV was shown ‘immediately speeding up’ and striking two of them as they crossed.
Johnathan Newbury, 33, (pictured) and Elliott Fiteni, 23, allegedly chased their victims with machetes mowing them down in a black SUV
Newbury, and Fiteni (pictured), of Cardiff, are both charged with attempted murder or a lesser charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and carrying a machete in public
CCTV footage showed Newbury (pictured) and Fiteni chasing Mr Jones and Mr Ali away with one of the pursuers heard shouting: ‘I’m going to f***ing rip these little f***ers up.’
Mr Ali and Mr Jones were thrown into the air and left with a range of injuries although these ‘remarkably and luckily were not as catastrophic as they could have been’, said Mr Wilson.
‘Mr Jones, Mr Ali and another friend had booked an Airbnb on Bruce Street called the Comfortable Stay,’ he added.
‘By chance, a booking had been made at the same address on behalf of Mr Fiteni, who accepted he stayed at the address along with Mr Newbury.
‘They were already at the building when Mr Jones and Mr Ali walked towards it.’
Mr Jones suffered injuries to his pelvis and right foot during the attack in July last year, while Mr Ali lost consciousness and sustained injuries to his jaw, ribs, chest and abdomen.
Mr Wilson said Newbury was identified by victim Mr Jones having previously seen him at a hospital and Fiteni admitted he had been in the car.
The prosecutor said: ‘Against a background of threats and abuse, we submit that they gave chase with dangerous knives and used a heavy vehicle to target pedestrians at obvious risk of deadly serious harm.
Newbury (pictured) is also charged with racially aggravated harassment
‘Both Mr Newbury and Mr Fiteni were involved in a joint attack with the intent to kill or at least cause serious injury.’
Newbury, and Fiteni, of Cardiff, have both denied charges of attempted murder or a lesser charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and carrying a machete in public.
Newbury has also denied a charge of racially aggravated harassment.
The trial at Cardiff Crown Court continues.
