CAROL Muller took to the witness stand to describe how Webb turned her over to see if she was still alive.

When he established she was still breathing, the kicking began again.

In evidence, Mrs Muller said that after not seeing his son for 18 months Webb started visiting Joshua last November. In the early hours of New Year's Day, she said, Webb visited her home and smashed windows in her front door.

That afternoon he phoned her saying he was moving to Taunton and wanted to see Joshua before he left.

She agreed to meet him on January 3, she said, even though she was concerned about threats he had made.

That day she was picked up by Webb's friend and driven to the Elliott Arms, South Cerney, where they talked until about 9.30 or 10pm, she said. She then got back in the car with them, thinking they were going to Cirencester for a meal.

But in Cirencester she was locked into the car and driven towards Swindon, she said.

They travelled to the Hay Lane trailer park and on the way Webb was assaulting her, she told the jury. Before getting to the trailer park they stopped at the Churchill pub in Wootton Bassett where Webb disappeared for a time, telling the driver that if he let her go he would kill him.

However, while she was waiting in the locked car, she did manage to dial 999 and tell police what was happening, she said.

When Webb returned to the car he was again violent towards her, she told the court.

By the time they got to Hay Lane she had numerous bumps on the head, hair had been pulled out and she had a cigarette burn on the hand.

When they got out of the car she alleged she saw Lorraine running towards her from out of the shadows.

She claimed she was laughing and struck her in the face, although Lorraine was later cleared of any involvement.

Webb was punching her around the head. "I was trying to protect my face with my hands," she said. "By this time I had fallen to the ground and I was getting a kicking on the left side by her and the other side by him.

"I didn't dare move. I just lay there and played dead. I thought that if I didn't play dead they might perhaps carry on till I really was dead."

Webb turned her over to check she was still breathing to see if she was still alive.

He said she was not dead and she then got kicked again, she said.

Mrs Muller said she then held her breath and Webb fled shortly before the police arrived on the scene.