A police officer who went to a bungalow in Felixstowe after receiving reports of an incident involving two neighbours found them both covered in blood, a court has heard.

One of the pensioners was lying on the floor of the property in Exmoor Road bleeding from 11 cuts to his face, neck and thigh while the other was bleeding profusely from a deep gash on his little finger which was almost hanging off, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

The horrific scene was described to the court in a statement from police officer Melanie Savage who went to Malcolm Hockley’s home on May 29, 2010, shortly after 6.30pm.

She found Mr Hockley lying on the floor with his head covered in fresh blood while his neighbour John Hubbard, who was also covered in blood, was being kept in a nearby room by a member of the public.

A glass panel in the back door had been smashed and there was blood on the carpet and entrance way.

Hubbard was holding a garden spade and a short distance from the back door there was knife with a bent blade, said the officer.

She described trying to reason with Hubbard to let go of the spade but he refused and was saying things which did not make sense.

“I tried to prise his fingers off the spade but he tightened his grip and he was rambling,” she said.

Eventually she managed to get Hubbard’s fingers off the spade and he agreed to return to his bungalow with her. “His upper body was blood stained and his face and both hands were covered in blood and there was blood dripping from a severe wound to his left hand.

“He said he had plasters and would see to it when I’d gone,” she said.

She said that when colleagues arrived Hubbard was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and he became agitated and tried to get away.

Two male officers restrained him and he was handcuffed.

The court heard that Mr Hockley was allegedly attacked at his home by 70-year-old Hubbard after Mr Hockley complained about him banging, shouting and swearing.

Hubbard has been detained under the Mental Health Act since the alleged incident 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 if he caused Mr Hockley’s injuries and whether or not he was acting in reasonable self-defence.

The jury is expected to retire tomorrow.