WITNESSES have recounted their observations during the trial of Joseph Dix and Macauley Ruddock, accused of murdering Andrew Main outside a city centre hotel in Swansea. Both men deny the charges of murder and manslaughter.
Hannah Tedstone, a guest at the Travelodge with her partner Katrina Matthews, provided a detailed account of the evening’s events. She told the court how the night began when she and her partner met the defendants at a local pub. According to her, Dix and Ruddock seemed to have been drinking throughout the day but did not appear overly intoxicated. “They weren’t slurring or stumbling around,” she said.
The group later went to another bar but returned separately to the hotel. Ms Tedstone testified that Dix and Ruddock joined her and Ms Matthews in their room, but she soon became uncomfortable. “It was supposed to be a safe space, but it didn’t feel like that anymore. They seemed aggressive all night, and I didn’t know them,” she told the court. Feeling uneasy, she left the room and went to the hotel bar.
There, she encountered Main and his friend Michael Bell. She described the two men as “very drunk but lovely.” “They were laughing, joking, and having a nice time,” she said. According to Ms Tedstone, the men’s behaviour toward her was polite and friendly.
Later, tensions rose when Dix entered the bar and confronted Bell, telling him he should not be speaking to Ms Tedstone. “He seemed quite angry,” she recounted.
The situation escalated outside the hotel. Ms Tedstone saw Bell push Ruddock, prompting a brawl. “Andrew was trying to calm his friend down. He really wanted the situation to stop,” she explained.
From the locked reception area, Ms Tedstone witnessed what she described as a violent confrontation. “I saw Joe hit Andrew. He fell face first to the floor,” she testified. She recalled shouting to her partner, asking if Main was breathing. “I felt helpless. I couldn’t get out to help, even though I desperately wanted to.”
Another critical witness, Travelodge receptionist Rachel Yates, also shared her perspective. Ms Yates told the court that she initially saw Main, Bell, Dix, and Ruddock interact in the bar area but later witnessed the altercation outside the hotel. She testified that the fight seemed to calm down at one point, with the men tapping each other on the back. However, the violence reignited when Main allegedly swung punches at Dix.
Ms Yates said she saw Dix strike Main from behind, describing the force as severe. “He punched him in the back of the head, and Andrew just face-planted into the floor. He didn’t move after that,” she said.
She also testified that both defendants continued to attack Main after he fell. “They were punching him with full strength, targeting his head, face, and chest. He didn’t move once,” she told the jury. According to Ms Yates, the attack lasted for several minutes.
She described how Ms Tedstone, who was standing beside her, was visibly distressed during the assault. “She was screaming and crying, shouting, ‘Oh my God, they’re going to kill him,’” Ms Yates said.
After the assault, Ms Yates recounted how the defendants appeared to panic. Dix reportedly banged on the hotel doors, asking for an ambulance to be called. “He said, ‘He needs an ambulance,’ but I told him, ‘You’ve done this to him,’” she said.
The trial continues at Swansea Crown Court, with the jury expected to hear further evidence in the coming days.
