A CHARD man has elected to stand trial at Taunton Crown Court facing allegations of racially aggravated assault and public order.
Sampson Knight, 31, of Combe Street, appeared in the dock before Somerset Magistrates, sitting at Yeovil.
He was charged with two counts of assaulting Kzsandra Rawlings by beating her, one of which was racially aggravated.
He was further charged that with intent to cause her harassment, alarm or distress he used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, another offence that was racially aggravated.
The defendant was also charged with another offence of public order against Ms Rawlings along with another offence of assault upon Nathan Clapp during the same incident at Chard on July 4.
Knight pleaded not guilty to the two racially aggravated offences and elected to stand trial at the crown court.
The magistrates adjourned the case to September 14 when the defendant must appear before a preliminary hearing at Taunton.
Until then he was released on bail with conditions that he must not contact named witnesses directly or indirectly and must not go to The Phoenix Hotel in Chard.
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