AN alleged robber told jurors he only put on a mask and ran into a Banbury flat because he was ‘threatened’ to join in by another member of the gang.

Two men, Callum Mawle, 21, of Corn Street, Witney, and George Baker, 19, of Hilliat Fields, Abingdon, each deny two counts of wounding with intent.

Prosecutors allege that both men were part of a group of five who turned up at a flat at Dashwood Place, Banbury, in the early hours of May 5 before setting upon two sleeping men with weapons including a wrench and knuckledusters.

As their trial at Oxford Crown Court continued today Mawle took to the witness box to tell jurors his version of what happened.

He said that moments before the group went into the flat he was outside in a car with four others when one man – named by Mawle as Robert Benfield – told the rest to don a mask and pick up a weapon.

Mawle told jurors: “In a threatening manner he turned around and told everyone if you didn’t stick a mask on and pick up a weapon and do as you were told we were all going to get a smack.”

Mawle said he did as he was told out of fear but once inside the flat he never took part in any violence.

Meanwhile, both men were cleared of one further count of theft yesterday after defence teams successfully argued that there was no case to answer on that charge. The trial continues.