A man has appeared in court accused of carrying out a racially-aggravated assault on his Polish neighbour, following a dispute over loud music.

Grant White, 53, of Amberley Road, Slough, is standing trial at Reading Crown Court, charged with assault by beating, racially-aggravated assault by beating and causing racially-aggravated fear or provocation of violence.

These are in relation to an incident in which he allegedly threatened his neighbour with an axe, before punching and kicking him.

White denies the charges.

Opening the trial today (March 7), prosecuting barrister Laura Hollingbery said that, around midnight on November 2, 2021, White's neighbours were awoken by loud music coming from his flat.

His neighbour, a Polish man, went to investigate the disturbance, which occurred on a weekday evening.

Mrs Hollinbery said: "Initially, he knocked on the living room window, and he could see a female in the property dancing in the middle of the room.

"When there was no response, he went to knock on the front door, to see if he could get a response that way."

The prosecution alleges that Mr White then emerged shirtless, shouting racist obscenities.

By this point, another neighbour had come to the address, roused by the commotion. White went back inside - and the neighbours testify that he returned with an axe.

Mrs Hollingbery claims that the axe was used to intimidate the other men: "Mr White demanded they got off his property, threatening to kill them both."

White is then alleged to have gone back inside, before coming back without the axe and punching the Polish neighbour.

The defendant has admitted punching the man - but insists it was in self-defence. He denies the same neighbour's claim that White subsequently kicked him.

Even after the neighbours fled, they heard White issue a number of other verbal threats - including: "I'll do you, f***ing Polish."

Police were called, and they located an axe at White's home.

Mrs Hollinbery said of White: "He was not acting in lawful self-defence. Again, the Crown say that this offence was racially-aggravated."

The trial continues.