A BUILDING site supervisor had admitted that he had behaved inappropriately when he took part in what he called a practical joke on a joiner apprentice.

The prosecution alleges that Alex Puchir made the cross for a mock crucifixion and taped the 17-year-old apprentice to it.

Puchir denied the incident was religiously motivated. He claimed the trainee was laughing and that the incident was his way of responding to what he saw as back-chat by the teenager at the end of a break.

Puchir, 37, of Glenallan Drive, Edinburgh, Andrew Addison, 31, of Westbourne Road, Selby, and Christopher Jackson, 21, of Acorn Close, Barlby, all deny a charge of religiously-aggravated assault.

Joseph Richard Rose, 21, of Main Street, Bubwith, and Addison both deny a charge of putting the apprentice in fear of violence by harassment and Addison denies a separate charge of assault. All but Puchir worked with the apprentice for Interior Design Solutions at the time of the alleged offences.

PREVIOUS REPORTS

>>> Joiner who drew penises on apprentice 'thought he'd find it funny'

>>> People get tied up on building sites all the time, says accused

>>> Alleged victim's mum testifies 

>>> Victim had dummy shoved in his mouth

>>> Trial begins

Judge Paul Batty QC asked Puchir if he thought he had behaved in an appropriate way for a site supervisor.

"Sometimes I feel as if I got carried away," he said. "In my mind, I should have behaved professionally and told them to stop making jokes."

Giving evidence at York Crown Court, Puchir alleged it had been his idea to tape the apprentice to some wood, and he had put together the 2.1m- high cross-shaped frame himself but denied there had been any religious symbolism intended.

He claimed he had asked the defendants and the complainant to get back to work after their break, and the complainant had stretched out his arms and lay back on a stack of plasterboard and said "come on Alex, I can't be bothered".

Mr Puchir said: "I didn't know him very well but felt this was the first time he'd made a cheeky joke to me and wasn't listening to me, so felt he was getting comfortable with me. I said 'right lads, lets tape this lazy arse to the timber'.

"I wish I knew this could have ended up looking like a religious thing, I would have cut the top off [the frame]. I had no idea it could be made religious."

Mr Puchir said the frame was not lifted vertically, to prevent risk of the complainant falling, and said the complainant "wasn't protesting or being pinned down", and when asked whether the tape was too tight, he had replied "no, that's fine", and "ha ha, this is quality".

Mr Puchir said he had been told about an incident with a dummy, but he was unaware of any other incidents.

He said: "I'm the guy between the guys in the suits and these builders, so I have to understand their level of jokes. If someone would say 'boy', I would perfectly understand that but I never heard it.

"It's not funny any more. It was one of those laughs where it's stopped and you're laughing so much but a few hours later you can't think why you were laughing. I recognise there are some people we can't play pranks or jokes on. If people don't feel they want to play, we won't play with them."

The trial continues.