A Suffolk man accused of attacking his wife and threatening to kill her after she woke him up to check he’d injected himself with insulin has admitted punching her twice, a court has heard.

Giving evidence during his trial at Ipswich Crown Court, Andrew Tovell claimed his wife Samantha had woken him up in the early hours of the morning by shouting and shaking him and accused him of calling his ex-wife.

He told the court he thought she was going to hit him so he had hit her twice in quick succession.

He said that as he tried to go downstairs there had been a scuffle during which they fell over.

He denied grabbing her hair and banging her head on a ceramic elephant and hitting her with a vintage box.

He also denied threatening to kill his wife and stabbing a chair she was sitting on with a knife.

He also denied throwing her into a car on an earlier occasion during a row and said he had pushed her in because he thought she was going to fall.

Tovell, 52, of Mill Lane, Barnby, Beccles, has denied assault by beating, making a threat to kill and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The offences allegedly took place in July and December 2016.

It has been alleged that Mrs Tovell was worried when she heard her diabetic husband lying in bed making a gurgling sound that she’d heard before when he’d been seriously ill.

When she woke him up to check he was OK, Tovell had allegedly lost his temper and accused her of “going on at him”.

He got out of bed and allegedly punched her twice to the head before putting his hands round her throat and dragging her towards the stairs.

Tovell allegedly hit his wife with a vintage box and banged her head on an elephant ornament before threatening to kill her.

When Mrs Tovell tried to run away Tovell allegedly made her sit on a chair in the living room and he had then allegedly stabbed the material of the chair either side of her head with a knife.

Eventually Mrs Tovell managed to call the emergency services and she was taken to hospital where she was found to have a fractured eye socket.

The trial continues.