Witness was told to change her story, Marks Tey attempted murder trial told

Giving evidence to a jury at Ipswich Crown Court Nakita St Luce said that after telling the court last week that a man she knew as "K" had been present during the attack in Marks Tey on Halloween last year she received three conference phone calls telling her to "drop K out of it" and to say that someone else had been there instead.

Asked by Christopher Paxton QC prosecuting, if she had felt forced to change her evidence, she replied: "Yes".

Ms St Luce said that the man she knew as "K" and 23-year-old Donald Adu and another man had taken part in the calls to her.

Adu, of Howard Road, London, Calvin Armstrong, 22, of no fixed address, and a 16-year-old youth, who cannot be named because of his age, have denied attempting to murder 41-year-old Leon Sobers on October 31 last year and a less serious charge of wounding him with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

The court has that Mr Sobers, who was living in Marks Tey, suffered a number of stab wounds in the alleged attack, including one which resulted in his bowels protruding from his stomach.

It has been alleged that Mr Sobers was lured into a trap after getting a telephone call from someone called "Rico".

Mr Paxton said the reason for the attack on Mr Sobers was unclear but it was likely to relate to the supply of Class A drugs.

Giving evidence Mr Sobers said he had gone to an alleyway near his home after getting a telephone call about drugs.

When he got to the alleyway near Mandeville Road he saw three males, including one who was wearing a skeleton mask.

He started to feel that "something wasn't quite right" and had then felt a sharp pain in his back.

He had run out of the alleyway and knocked at the front door of a nearby house before the three males allegedly "rushed" him.

He said that after the attack a former paramedic had come to his aid and had done what she could for him until an ambulance arrived.

The trial continues.