A Felixstowe pensioner who was allegedly stabbed 11 times by a neighbour felt as though his head was “being used as a dartboard” during the attack, a court has heard.

Malcolm Hockley was allegedly attacked at his home in Exmoor Road, Felixstowe by 70-year-old John Hubbard after Mr Hockley complained about Hubbard banging, shouting and swearing at all hours of the day in his bungalow, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

Hubbard has been detained under the Mental Health Act since the alleged incident on May 29 2010 and has been declared unfit to attend court to face a charge of attempting to murder Mr Hockley.

As a result of that decision a jury will have to decide in his absence whether or not he attempted to murder Mr Hockley after hearing evidence from witnesses in the case.

Valerie Charbit, prosecuting, told the court that Hubbard had a history of mental health problems and during the afternoon of May 29 Mr Hockley had become annoyed by Hubbard making banging noises and shouting to himself and had knocked on his lounge window and asked him to quieten down.

Mr Hockley had returned to his bungalow but shortly afterwards Hubbard had wallked in through his back door and repeatedly stabbed him with a kitchen knife and attacked him with a spade.

At one stage 73-year-old Mr Hockley tried to defend himself with his walking stick but had fallen to the ground where he was allegedly kicked and punched by Hubbard.

Miss Charbit alleged that Hubbard told Mr Hockley he was going to “finish him” and when Mr Hockley asked him to stop because he would get into trouble Hubbard had allegedly replied:”I don’t care as long as I kill you”.

She said that as a result of being repeatedly stabbed Mr Hockley had described feeling as though his head was “being used as a dartboard”.

A woman who had been walking her dog went to Mr Hockley’s bungalow after hearing him calling for help and saw Hubbard kicking and punching Mr Hockley whose face was covered in blood.

She told Hubbard to leave Mr Hockley alone but he told her to “clear off” and had then gone to a garden shed to get a spade. He had then used the bladed edge to prod Mr Hockley saying “I’m going to kill him”.

The passer-by had gone to get help from a man who lived nearby and he had managed to get between the two men until the emergency services arrived.

Mr Hockley was taken to hospital where he was found to have 11 stab wounds to his scalp, forehead, jaw, neck, cheek and left thigh and was kept in hospital for for a week.

Miss Charbit said that as a result of the attack there had been blood “all over” Mr Hockley’s bunaglow and there had also been a large amount of blood on Hubbard.

The hearing continues today (Wed).