A father was stabbed three times in his abdomen after he confronted yobs in the street who smashed his living room window, a court heard.

Gerald Edwards had to have his spleen removed and a partial removal of his pancreas as a result of the knife wounds he suffered in the unprovoked attack.

The 59-year-old had been sitting just three feet from the window when it was smashed with a lump of wood at 8.50pm on Friday, September 29 last year.

Having rushed out of his home in Vicarage Road in Strood to tackle the vandals, one wearing a hoody and baseball cap rushed towards him and without warning thrust a 6in blade repeatedly into him with an underarm motion.

Mr Edwards teenage son Christopher, who had been watching Coronation Street when he heard the commotion outside, dragged his injured father back into the house.

The 19-year-old was forcing the front door shut when the knife was jabbed through a stained glass panel, slicing the palm of his right hand.

Maidstone Crown Court was told yesterday that DNA matching teenager Jordan Ash was later found on the broken edge of the glass.

The chances of it belonging to anyone else was said to be one in a billion, said prosecutor Dale Sullivan.

"It is the prosecution who suggest that as a result of the DNA deposited here, it was this defendant who both stabbed Gerald Edwards and stabbed the same glass panel causing the injury to his son."

Ash, 19, of no fixed address, denies attempting to murder Gerald Edwards, and an alternative offence of wounding him with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He has also pleaded not guilty to unlawful wounding of Christopher Edwards, and having an article with a blade.

"He thrust with a great deal of force and hit me three times in three different places in the abdomen area..." - Gerald Edwards

In a statement made to police and read out in court, Gerald Edwards described how he feared he was going to die.

He said he was sitting in his front room, with his wife Lucy upstairs and his son in another downstairs room at the Victorian, terraced house in Vicarage Road, when he heard voices outside.

Mr Edwards then suddenly heard a loud smash as the window broke.

"I got up from my chair and ran to the front door and outside to see what had happened," Mr Edwards told officers.

"I saw three males standing outside my property. I shouted 'What are you doing? What are you doing?', or words to that effect.

"Male one was at this point making his way towards the garden gate, and male two and male three were already out on the public footpath.

"Male one reached the gate but then turned around and looked right at me. Suddenly he turned back quick and rushed at me.

"He thrust with a great deal of force and hit me three times in three different places in the abdomen area.

"I thought he had hit me with a baton because it didn't feel like a punch. It hurt so much I knew I was done for and had no fight in me."

Once back inside his house, Mr Edwards described how he saw blood pouring through his top and onto the floor and realised he had been been stabbed.

His wife was screaming and very distressed as a neighbour gave him first aid.

His statement continued: "Everything after this was all a blur but I remember shouting out 'I have just got to keep alive'.

"I really thought I was going to die. I told Lucy I loved her and to look after our children because I really thought I was going to die."

The court heard Mr Edwards suffered knife wounds to the left side of his abdomen which cut his liver, one to the right side, damaging his spleen, and a third wound to his pancreas.

He added: "This whole incident happened so quickly and all in around a minute or less.

"He was right in front of me as he stabbed me."

Ash is the only defendant on trial but the jury was told the window was most likely smashed with the lump of wood by one of his two accomplices that night.

The wood was later found by police on the ground and broken into three pieces.

"I told Lucy I loved her and to look after our children because I really thought I was going to die..." - Gerald Edwards

Christopher Edwards told the court he was 20 minutes into watching the second, Friday night episode of Coronation Street when he heard a loud smash, followed by his dad opening the front door.

The teenager went outside and saw two men standing by the garden gate.

Giving evidence, Christopher said he did not recognise them and had not seen them before.

"I shouted out 'What do you think you're doing?' The first guy came at me and my dad shouting 'Why? What are you going to do about it?'," he told the jury.

"He came at us, he looked like he was just going to hit us until at the last second I saw him reach into his hoody pocket to bring out a knife. It was about 6in long.

"A second later I saw that he had stabbed my dad. I was under the impression it was just once but I found out it was three times.

"It was like a quick jab to the lower stomach with his left hand. He ducked down a bit and stabbed to the stomach.

"Instantly, I grabbed hold of my dad and dragged him into the house thinking that was going to be it.

"But I then turned around quickly to see he was coming after me. I thought I have got to get back inside or I'm going to get hurt.

"I managed to get inside just in time but when I tried to shut the front door I felt a heavy force and the guy trying to open the door, trying to get inside the house.

"I heard stabbing sounds to the door and I thought this is getting even more serious so I have got to shut this door.

"I managed to get it shut and managed to lock the door. He then stabbed through the glass in the front door and sliced down my hand."

Christopher told the court he then dialled 999.

"I froze for a few seconds wondering whether to go back out there, stupidly, to try and chase after him but instead I went straight to the phone and called the ambulance."

He said that the knife had been produced so quickly there was no time for him and his father to retreat.

Christopher also described seeing the knifeman raise it as if to stab him in the back as he and his dad ran inside the house.

He told the jury the whole incident from hearing the smash of glass to dialling 999 lasted just 45 seconds to a minute.

Ash made no comment when he was interviewed by police.

The trial continues.