A MAN facing trial for attempted murder told police in an interview that he was “a f*****g animal” when it came to it, and he had “had enough of being bullied”.

Mark Pearson, 46, denies trying to murder Michael Inwood on the afternoon of September 9, when Inwood was stabbed outside an Aldi store eight times, including in the heart and in the lung.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that Mr Inwood had wrongly accused Pearson of being a paedophile which had led to several verbal altercations between the pair.

During a police interview read out during the trial yesterday, Pearson told police Mr Inwood was a bully who was “telling everyone” that he was a convicted child sex offender.

He said: “I didn’t dare go and see my mates till half nine at night because I was scared of what might happen.

"I was scared to leave the house.

“He [Inwood] was telling everyone I was a nonce, and the world I live in, if people think you’re a child molester then you’re gonna get your throat cut open or you’ll get stabbed up.

“I’ve been spat at in the street and someone threw a brick at me when I was on my bike.”

Pearson, of Eden Road, Spennymoor, denied stabbing Mr Inwood or carrying a knife and said there was a scuffle between them which ended with Mr Inwood “staggering backwards and shouting ‘I’ve been stabbed, he’s just stabbed me’”.

He said he didn't see any blood other than a small amount on his finger which he thought was his own.

He said: "He was shouting, trying to grass me up to the world and I thought s**t.

"I panicked and I ran."

After leaving the scene, the court heard that Pearson called 999 to hand himself in after stashing a lock knife in a bag of flour inside a kitchen cupboard.

He told police he did not deliberately strike Mr Inwood with a knife and after watching CCTV of the incident said it was "self defence all the way".

He said: "At the end of the day I was going to back off. You can see him coming towards me, it's blatantly self defence.

"I can't remember dates but he has threatened me numerous times. He whacked me on the leg with a dog lead and I had a massive bruise afterwards.

"I was fed up, I could have ran but I thought no he’s not going to f*****g hurt me.

"I could have walked away but why, how would that make you feel if someone was calling you a four-eyed nonce in the middle of Spenny?

"I might look like some divvy, but I was going to prove to him that I’m no divvy and I was going to smash him all over."

Pearson, who is a father and grandfather, added: "It was just the final straw, I exploded.

"I did not want this to happen.

"I did not want him to get hurt.

"I’m not a fighter, I’ve never really been a fighter, I will only fight if I have to. I can defend myself when I want to and I’m a f*****g animal when it comes to it.”

Pearson claimed he had never seen the lock knife used to wound Mr Inwood before and maintained that he did not stab him, only punch him after Mr Inwood punched him first.

The trial continues.