A Medway man accused of attempted murder maintained his claim he was the Good Samaritan who found the injured man and not the person who stabbed him.

Peter Barton, 40, of Railway Street, Gillingham told the jury at Canterbury Crown Court he’d been 'scoring’ drugs the day Samuel Cook was stabbed in December and denied he’d attacked the 19-year-old man out of jealousy because he was seeing Barton’s ex-girlfriend.

Barton had been an addict for 18 to 20 years and drugs were one of the reasons his relationship with Claire Pinchen ended.

He denied ever making a threatening phone call to Mr Cook or to another of Miss Pinchen’s boyfriends and said visits to her flat were always pre-arranged.

His reason for being in the vicinity of her Chatham flat the night of the stabbing was because his dealer was there.

He didn’t recall being introduced to Mr Cook at Claire’s flat on a previous occasion or asking him for a light at a bus stop. When he saw a love bite on her neck while they were looking at a flat she admitted she was seeing someone but wouldn’t say who.

He denied taking his parents’ car without permission. Police found a duvet and shovel in the boot but Barton said he knew nothing about the shovel but he’d taken the duvet out with him to prevent the car being scratched when he moved some furniture.

His daughter had been staying with him at his flat but the atmosphere wasn’t good so he’d got some money from his mum and intended to get smashed on drugs.

That day he’d taken methadone heroine, crack cocaine and smoked joints but told the jury he was "all right".

He was returning to his car when he saw Mr Cook and asked him for a cigarette.

“He pulled out some roll ups. He had blood on him and said he had been stabbed. I didn’t believe him because he was standing smoking." He said.

He pulled out his phone and I was going to nick it. He said his shoulder hurt and he handed his phone and coat to me.”

Barton walked round Mr Cook and saw he was bleeding and returned his coat and said he would call an ambulance.

“I tried but kept pushing the wrong button. I had been taking gear all day long.

"I didn’t have my specs and could not see the phone. I did not attack Mr Cook with a knife. I did not lead him away from the houses and attack him again,” said Mr Barton.

He didn’t see anybody else around.

He admitted lying to the police when first questioned. He didn’t want the car searched because he had "weed" in there and he wasn’t insured.

Questioned by prosecutor Anthony Haycroft, Barton denied being intensely jealous and it was wrong that he couldn’t bear the idea of anybody else going out with Claire. He denied making other threats and didn’t plan to kill Mr Cook.

He denied stalking Claire or pushing Mr Cook into the bushes hoping he would bleed to death.

The case continues.