A chef from New Cross has been found not guilty of GBH after he slashed a man's buttock in the kitchen of his Catford resturant. 

Phat Thanh Duong, 62, has today (September 24) been acquitted of one count of wounding with intent to cause GBH and the alternative charge of unlawful wounding, by a jury at Woolwich Crown Court.

The verdict was reached at around 4pm by the jury of seven women and five men following a three day trial.

Mr Duong, who denied the charges, claimed he picked up the meat cleaver "to protect himself" when the victim Mr Roberts entered the kitchen of his Chinese restaurant King's Chow Mein in Brownhill Road on May 6 last year.

Mr Roberts allegedly barged into his restaurant in Catford swearing and shouting a racist slur over damage to a car, a court was told yesterday.

Mr Duong did not dispute using a meat cleaver to cause Mr Roberts' three injuries, which included a 15cm wound to his left buttock.

He told the jury that Mr Roberts threw the first punch, before attempting to kick him.

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King's Chow Mein on Brownhill Road, Catford.

Giving evidence through a translator Mr Duong said Mr Roberts was acting "like King Kong" when he came into the kitchen via the back door, which was propped open.

Mr Duong told the jury that the victim wrongly believed he had damaged Mr Roberts' Ferrari, which was parked outside the restaurant.

In a statement given by the defendant’s solicitor during a police interview, and read to the court during the third day of his trial, Mr Duong said he had known Mr Roberts for about 15 years from his estate agents business he runs nearby.

Mr Duong, of Chubworthy Street, said in the statement: "He came towards me in a very aggressive manner, he was swearing at me, kept saying ‘f***off you little c***k, you touched my car’."

Defending Richard Witcombe said during his closing statement: "We say that the angry, nearly six foot 40-year-old man barged in to a small kitchen where a smaller, older man was doing his job.

"If the bigger, angrier, younger man had not behaved as he did, if he had not chosen to do that – to barge in there – none of us would be here."