A DRIVER was left half blind after his eyes were gouged at in a violent attack in daylight at a roundabout in central Bradford, a jury heard.

Ephraim Fontaine was punched in the face up to ten times and lost the sight in his left eye when he was assaulted by Marvin Edmondson, it is alleged.

Edmondson, 25, of Westfield Crescent, Undercliffe, Bradford, denies maliciously wounding Mr Fontaine with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm shortly before midday on April 23 last year.

He says Mr Fontaine, 30, was the aggressor in the incident at the roundabout between Otley New Road and Barkerend Road.

The court heard that traffic backed up at 11.46am when Mr Fontaine's black Volkswagen Golf and Edmondson's blue Ford Focus pulled up alongside each other.

It is alleged that Edmondson knocked Mr Fontaine across his car seat, repeatedly punched him in the face and "gouged at his eyes".

Both men then drove off in their vehicles.

Mr Fontaine, whose face was swollen and covered in blood, was treated in hospital for trauma to his left eye.

He was operated on but there was no perception of light in the eye and no chance of his vision improving, the jury was told.

Off-duty police officer Mohammed Rashid, who happened on the incident, told the court yesterday the Ford Focus driver was very aggressive, complaining that the other man had injured his hand.

He was punching him in the face and shouting: "Let go of my finger."

John Watson, who was driving up to the roundabout, said the Ford Focus was blocking the Golf's path.

The Ford Focus driver was remonstrating with the driver of the Golf. He punched him twice in the face, knocking him back on to his car seat.

"The man from the Focus got into the car after him and pushed him across the middle of the seat and got on top of him and continued the assault," Mr Watson said.

His right arm came down "continually with force", delivering six to ten blows.

Up to five men then intervened and the Ford Focus driver left the scene.

The man in the Golf looked dazed and shocked.

"His face was very swollen. His eyes were almost standing out and his nose was bleeding," Mr Watson said.

Witness Nigel Cade said he saw the incident from the window at his home.

"I heard noise outside and saw traffic building up," he said.

He saw a man punching someone and thought it could be "a bit of road rage".

The trial continues.