A man suffered a 15cm cut stretching from his ear to the corner of his mouth after being slashed with a craft knife, it has been alleged.

Darren Wooding had been taking cocaine in his flat in St Michael’s Close in Thetford with 44-year-old Scott Tyler, when Tyler started acting strangely and accused him of stealing the remains of some of his drugs, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Voices became raised and after Mr Wooding tried to get Tyler to leave his flat Tyler had allegedly produced a craft knife and started waving it at Mr Wooding and threatening to slit his throat.

The court heard that the blade caused a deep cut in Mr Wooding’s forearm and he then suffered a 15cm cut stretching from his mouth to his ear, which was so deep that his teeth were exposed.

Mr Wooding told the court that he believed that if he hadn’t moved away when he saw the blade coming towards him Tyler would have cut his throat.

Tyler, of Chester Way, Thetford, has denied wounding Mr Wooding with intent to do him grievous bodily harm and unlawfully wounding him in July last year.

The court has heard that Tyler is claiming he acted in self-defence after Mr Wooding allegedly tried to attack him with an iron bar.

The trial continues.