A MAN on trial for attempted murder was accused of "making it up as you go along" as he was said to have continually changed his evidence in the witness box.

Glyn Sullivan - warned a number of times by the judge for angry outbursts in court - described the prosecution allegation as "just a total lie".

At one point, he was ordered back to the dock, the jury was sent away and Mr Sullivan was told by the judge to stop rowing with Paul Reid, prosecuting.

The 41-year-old was told to leave arguments to his QC Nicholas Lumley

after he swore, accused Mr Reid of being unfair and told the judge how to do his job.

During lengthy cross-examination today (Friday, July 10) by Mr Reid, he told the barrister "stop trying to trip me up, keep in simple, mate . . . stop asking me the same question".

He turned to Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC, and said: "Let's be fair about it. What you should be doing is telling him to stop asking me the same thing."

In extraordinary scenes at Teesside Crown Court, he twice branded Mr Reid "a horrible person" and told him: "You are absolutely ridiculous, do you know that?"

The out-of-work chef asked the judge not to call him Mr Sullivan, saying "I'm called Glyn, you know", and boasted about his wealth after the sale of a house.

He denied being short of money and going to the victim's home looking for a safe containing gold ingots, and torturing the pensioner when he could not find it.

Harry Campbell, 65, was left for dead in his east Cleveland flat after being battered with an iron, clubbed with a walking stick, choked and repeatedly knifed.

Mr Sullivan has confessed to stealing the disabled pensioner's car after finding keys in the property, but denies being responsible for the savage attack.

He told Teesside Crown Court that he went to the ground-floor apartment looking for a friend's stolen bike, saw the man on the floor, panicked and fled the scene.

Answering Mr Reid's questions, he said he did not need money, made £30,000 on the property sale, earned £30,000-a-year, had savings and ran a BMW 5 series.

He said he had £12,000 left after buying the executive car, and when asked where it was, he replied: "Under the mattress. I'm not telling you where it is."

The court heard his claim that he has been a 21-year heroin addict, and told lies to police when he was arrested "to get my arse out of there and score some drugs".

He accused Mr Reid and police of making up things, and said: "To counteract lies, sometimes you have to be polite and lie yourself when dealing with people like you."

At one point, he turned away from the jury and was asked to face them to finish his evidence sooner, and replied: "I'll stand here all day and night if I have to.

"It's hard work this, isn't it? It really is hard work . . . I'm going home on Monday. I've known that from day one. You've taken eight months of my life away."

The jury of seven women and five men will be sent out to consider its verdicts on Monday after Judge Bourne-Arton has summed up the case to them.

Mr Sullivan, of High Street, Boosbeck, denies attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but has admitted the theft of the Ford Fiesta.

He said to Mr Reid: "I wish you would throw the towel in. Listen, I've never heard of Harry Campbell. Full stop. I know you're struggling. We all know you're struggling."