Man of violence Mark Judge shows the scars of his lifestyle

MARK Judge stood up in a courtroom and lifted his shirt, showing a jury the scars that remain from the near-fatal attack on him in 2011.

HE was stabbed so violently his heart was exposed and his small bowel was hanging from his body.

Yesterday, bikie associate Mark Judge stood up in a Sydney courtroom and lifted his shirt, showing a jury the scars that remain from the near-fatal attack on him in 2011.

Judge was giving evidence in the Downing Centre District Court against David Jonathon Thackray, 32, from Bondi, who is charged with recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm by attacking Judge as he returned to his Bellevue Hill apartment two years ago.

Describing his horrific and life-threatening injuries, Judge stood up in the witness box and lifted his shirt revealing a scar across the left side of his abdomen.

"My intestines were hanging out," he said.

Under cross-examination by Thackray's barrister Richard Pontello, Judge agreed he had a track record of "resorting to serious violence" when he had disputes with other men, often strangers in pubs and clubs.

The debt collector turned jeweller agreed he had been convicted of bashing men in 1999, 2004 and 2005 and of interfering with a witness to a nightclub assault in June 2005.

The witness was a 19-year-old woman who he threatened over the phone, telling her "You mustn't like breathing, do you like breathing?"

Judge, who was associated with the Rebels bikie gang, agreed he had also pleaded guilty to kidnapping furniture store owner Steven Weir in 2004 but later changed his plea. He was convicted of bashing Weir.

While collecting a debt from Weir, Judge told him: "If I don't get my money, I'll cut your little finger off and then a week later your arm off."

Judge also agreed he is facing assault charges related to a fight outside a Kings Cross nightclub in July 2012. He has pleaded not guilty.

Details of Judge's lengthy criminal history emerged after Mr Pontello suggested that Judge was not an innocent victim because Judge was trying to kidnap Thackray - a claim Judge denied. While Judge denies knowing Thackray at all, Thackray argues that they were regulars on the trendy Sydney nightclub circuit and used to say "hi" to each other at Bondi Beach.

Mr Pontello suggested on the day of the stabbing that Judge had seen Thackray jogging near Cooper Park at Bellevue Hill and he had given Thackray a lift in his white Range Rover.

Mr Pontello suggested Judge asked Thackray "Dave, are you going to the beach? Pop in and I'll give you a lift. I'm just going to stop at my place down the road to get my swimmers, I will only be a minute."

Judge denied this. Mr Pontello suggested it was Judge who pointed a knife at Thackray and told him to tie plastic cables around his wrists as part of the kidnapping attempt. Judge denied this. The case continues.