A Saints fan threw a chair during a mass brawl as an act of self-defence, a court heard.

Thomas Burke, 31, defended his actions on Oxford Street on March 18, 2023.

He is one of two men standing trial at Southampton Crown Court after a fight erupted between Southampton FC and Tottenham Hotspurs fans.

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In a video shown to the court, Burke, of Peverells Wood Avenue, Chandler's Ford, was seen to pick up the outdoor furniture from cocktail bar the Mail Room.

CCTV footage showed he puts it down, picks it up, and then throws it towards the throng of Spurs fans.

But prosecutor Simon Jones described Burke’s claim of self-defence as “ridiculous”.

“As a man who is claiming self-defence, you head straight towards the trouble”, Mr Jones said.

Burke said he was running and protecting himself from people with “weapons in their hands”, adding: “It was safety in numbers, I could not run away.

“It was all coming thick and fast and I did not know where to go.

“I was like a rabbit in the headlights.

“They had weapons so I threw my chair as a buffer and I wanted to put something between us and them.

“I ran away previously but the Spurs fans chased us.

“I was defending myself from start to finish. I do not regret my actions as I was defending myself.

“I did not commit violent disorder.”

A second video shown to the court shows Burke gesturing for people in the Mail Room to come outside, said Mr Jones.

He added that Burke was also seen clapping his hands, which was a “rallying cry” for more people to get involved in the brawl.

Burke said he was not encouraging other people, rather, he was “annoyed at them”.

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He said: “It went from having a good day out to violence in Oxford Street.

“I was annoyed at Saints and Spurs fans.”

Mr Jones said: “The Spurs group were getting the better of your group, so you were rallying for numbers”.

Burke disputed this and said: “The situation was unfolding, and I was annoyed at the trouble created by the supporters."

Burke and his co-defendant, Jacob Ball, 19, of Outlands Lane, Curdridge, deny violent disorder.

The trial continues.