The Scarborough man faces 30 years in prison for beating a woman and leaving her with permanent brain damage.

The Scarborough man takes the stand to say that he struck a woman but wasn’t trying to kill her.

Meanwhile, an investigator hired by the Scarborough man’s defense team says a prosecution witness has changed his story.

The defendant denies the attack escalated to the level of attempted murder and elevated aggravated assault.

His attorney concedes Eric Gwaro hit Sherri York, but he says he was provoked and wasn’t trying to kill her.

He says that his 13-year-old client, a suspect in one of the Lewiston fires, was not read his Miranda rights until later.

Eric Gwaro of Scarborough has pleaded not guilty in an attack that left a 25-year-old woman with permanent brain damage.