A MAN snatched a kitchen knife from a kebab van before chasing his victim and stabbing him during an early hours bust up, a court heard.

Anton Mullings, of Bluebell Court, Oxford, denies one count of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, an alternative charge of wounding, and one of having an offensive weapon.

Prosecutors claim that the 26-year old - who is representing himself at court - attacked his victim near to the Posh Nosh Express kebab van at Queen Street, Oxford, in the early hours of November 26 2016.

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As his trial at Oxford Crown Court got under way yesterday prosecutor Lee Harris outlined the case against him

He said: "The prosecution say that Mr Mullings intentionally went after Callum McDonagh [his alleged victim].

"Having taken intentionally a knife from the kebab van [he] stabbed him with the intention to cause him serious injury."

Jurors were told that the alleged violence was sparked outside the city centre van at about 3.45am.

A fight broke out, the court heard, involving Mullings and the alleged victim and at one point Mr McDonagh 'punched' a friend of Mullings'.

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Mr McDonagh then left the scene, prosecutors said, and moments later Mullings tried to get into the kebab van before snatching a kitchen knife used for chopping vegetables from the counter.

The blade was described in court as a yellow handled kitchen knife measuring some 30 cm in length.

Mullings then 'chased' his alleged victim, the jury panel were told, before being seen by eye-witnesses to 'lash out' with the knife.

It was this strike, the court heard, that led to a wound in the leg of the alleged victim, which required hospital stitching.

Both Mullings and the alleged victim were separately arrested following the incident - Mullings for the 'stabbing' and Mr McDonagh for the earlier apparent punch.

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Mullings did not give any comment or explanation to police when he was questioned, the court heard.

Prosecutors also said that the blade was later recovered and forensically analysed which showed a DNA match for Mr McDonagh as well as a 'mixed sample' of at least four contributors to the handle.

Mr Harris added that nothing further could be ascertained by investigators from that analysis of the knife.

He went on to tell jurors that while the Crown Prosecution Service allege that Mullings carried out the violence 'with intent' that it was open to the jury panel of eight men and four women to find him guilty to a lesser charge of unlawful wounding.

Mullings denies all charges and the trial - expected to last three days - continues.