A group of men shouted "We're the UDA, we're here to kick some Fenians' heads in" before launching an attack on two Catholic men in Coleraine, a court has heard.
Kevin McDaid died and his friend Damien Fleming was seriously injured after the alleged attack in the Heights estate in May 2009, shortly after rangers had won the Scottish premier League title. Ryan McDaid, a son of the dead man, yesterday named six men he claimed had attacked his father.
He also told a court how a "loyalist mob" was "kicking and jumping all over" Mr Fleming in the pate's Lane/ Somerset Drive area.
Another witness named three people she said had kicked Mr McDaid as he lay on the ground.
Leona Whittaker said he was struck and kicked by John Thompson and also kicked by Frank (Francis) Daly and John Mcgrath.
"A crowd of people just started attacking him, kicking at him as he lay on the ground; everywhere possible, his face, his chest, his sides, his legs," she said.
Asked how she knew the defendant John Thompson, she replied: "Before religion was a problem in Coleraine he ran about with my brother."
Ms Whittaker also claimed Francis Daly had assaulted her as she tried to help Mr McDaid's injured wife Evelyn and when she told him she was pregnant he replied "Too bad".
The 30-year-old said Mrs McDaid was "getting punched in the face and kicked in the face" as she lay behind a car and had been pushed when she went to her husband's aid.
Mrs McDaid in turn told the court Mr Daly had kicked and hit her.
She said trouble had flared when a group of men shouting "we're the UDA" descended on the area where she lived after rangers beat Celtic to the Scottish league title on May 24 2009.
It is claimed loyalists travelled to the Killowen area of the Heights estate to take down flags put up as Celtic FC were also playing that day.
Another of Kevin McDaid's sons, Mark, told North Antrim Magistrate's Court, sitting in Belfast yesterday, that "the police were up about three times to ask for the flags to be took down".
Another neighbour, Michael McCormack, said a police officer had "asked if the flags could come down and we said they would be down first thing in the morning".
He claimed when the group arrived John Thompson had shouted sectarian abuse and then "it was like a tap had been turned on... and they all started to come into the square at pate's Lane".
A preliminary inquiry was being held yesterday to determine whether the defendants have a case to answer at trial.
Mrs McDaid said she had also seen Mr Daly kick Mr Fleming and "I shouted to 'stop kicking him you are going to kill him' but they kept going on".
Mr Fleming gave evidence that John Mcgrath had "hit me a punch in the face", and then "someone hit me on the back of the neck and I went down".
He told the court he had heard someone say: "'There's one of the Fenian bastards there' and after that there I was kicked around the place".
Leona Whittaker's sister-in-law Kelly Whittaker claimed the group had shouted: "We're the uDA, we're here to kick some Fenians' heads in".
She said she shouted for the men to leave Mr Fleming alone, saying "he's only an aul drunk man", but "all I got was 'he's a f***king Fenian isn't he, he's getting what he deserves'."
Another witness, Danny Kennedy, said he saw defendant paul Newman strike both Mr and Mrs McDaid with a piece of wood.
Twelve men are charged with the manslaughter of Mr McDaid and attempted murder of Mr Fleming and other counts of assault and public order offences.
The defendants are: David Craig Cochrane (23), Aaron Beech (28) and David James John Cochrane (52) all with addresses in Windyhall park in Coleraine; Frank Simpson Daly (52) of John Street, Ballymoney; Christopher McDowell (37) from Castle Walk Mews in Castlerock; John Mcgrath (54) of Knock road, Dervock; paul Andrew Newman (49) of grasmere Close, Coleraine; John Thompson (34), Knocknougher road, Macosquin; James McA-fee (32) and Ivan Beattie McDowell (47), both with addresses in Lisnablagh road, Coleraine; philip Kane (39) of Heron Way in Derry and rodney gardner (45) from Duncarn
road in Limavady.
Two other men, Jonathan Norman Stirling (24) of Windyhall park in Coleraine, and John Freeman (24) from Tullans park, Coleraine, are charged with making threats to kill
and intimidation.
Following completion of all witness evidence, District Judge Desmond perry adjourned the hearing and released all the defendants on continuing bail.