A MAN accused of tricking his way into his ex-partner’s flat before launching a vicious attack upon him has denied he intended to hurt him.

Giving evidence in his own defence at Bolton Crown Court Stephen White said he would not have gone to his ex-boyfriend’s flat in July last year if he had not been

drunk.

“I didn’t have any plan in mind. I just lost the plot. I was out of my mind,” he said.

White, aged 34, badly injured his victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, but denies intentionally causing grievous bodily harm.

A jury of six men and six women had previously heard how White’s relationship with the victim had ended a year earlier.

But White admitted to the jury: “I was dreaming about him quite a lot after we split up.”

During a night out at the Star and Garter pub White, who told the court that he had drunk eight pints of lager, bumped into his ex-partner’s flatmate and was said to have told him: “I’m going to destroy him.”

He then headed for his ex-partner’s flat in the early hours of the morning, buzzing on the intercom to wake him up.

The victim told the court that White tricked his way into his apartment by pretending to be the flatmate who had forgotten his keys and then immediately attacked him.

The victim was on the floor when White is said to have knelt beside him, put his hands around his throat and told him: “I’m going to kill you.”

A jury was told how the attack was so ferocious that White’s ex-boyfriend feared he was going to die and the only way of saving himself was to grab 34-year-old White’s throat until he lost consciousness.

“He was like a feral animal at that point. I was fending him off and fending him off,” the victim said.

After White lost consciousness his ex-partner pulled the cord out of his dressing gown and used it to tie his attacker’s hands behind his back before phoning police and fleeing the apartment.

“I wanted to get out because I didn’t know whether he could free himself,” he said.

Giving evidence, White said that he could not remember much about what happened during the incident.

Questioned by Adam Roxborough, defending, White, of Pinfold Close, Westhoughton, said he was only half conscious and disorientated when he caused the injuries.

“Did you intend to cause him any serious harm,” Mr Roxborough asked him.

“No,” replied White.

Evidence in the case has now been completed and the jury has retired to consider a verdict.