A PENSIONER stabbed his neighbour in the neck after twice shouting “I will bloody kill you” in a confrontation outside their homes, a court heard.

William Dutton, aged 89, denies attacking Steven Waring with a kitchen knife on January 26 in Breightmet.

Bolton Crown Court heard that Dutton, who lives with son Ronald and wife Iris in Breightmet Drive, left his house after hearing his son shouting that he was being assaulted.

The court was told that Mr Waring was waiting on the end of his drive for Ronald to return home.

He asked Ronald “do you want to hit me over the head with your stick?” as he came down the road with John Morton, another neighbour.

Mr Waring told the court under cross-examination from defence counsel Phillip Boyd: “I just wanted to have a word with him.

“He put my wife in hospital on January 4.”

Mr Waring, now aged 61, added: “He just looked at me and dropped to his hands and knees and started crying and yelling ‘I have been assaulted’ at the top of his voice.

“I never laid a finger on him.”

Dutton came out and “surprised” Mr Waring, who did not spot that he was carrying a knife until after Dutton had lashed out and he had felt a warm feeling on his neck.

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Mr Waring admits pushing Dutton twice after this, with the second one knocking the 89-year-old to the floor.

In opening her case, Nicoletta Amatino, for the prosecution, said: “As the complainant approached Ronald Dutton, William Dutton came out of his house and walked towards him. He was carrying a kitchen knife.

“He shouted ‘I will bloody kill you’ and then struck out as if to slap or punch Mr Waring, who realised straight away that his neck was bleeding.”

She added that Mr Waring was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary with a 10cm cut across his throat and neck.

Miss Amatino explained that Dutton’s case, in short, was that the injuries were caused after a struggle ensued when Mr Waring rushed towards him.

Dutton was already charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and an extra charge of malicious and unlawful wounding was added to his indictment.

Dutton, who used a headset to ensure he could hear proceedings properly in the dock, croaked “not guilty” to the latest charge.

Jeanette Waring, Mr Waring’s wife, also took to the witness stand, and said she had been inside when her husband ran in to the house saying that Dutton had cut his neck.

She went outside and saw Dutton lying on the floor with a knife in his hand, which she removed.

When asked why, she said: “It was just an instinctive reaction.”

The case continues.