Paul Taylor murder trial: Man tells jurors he was attacked by accused Nicola Lee

Nicola Lee, 44, is on trial accused of the murder of Paul Taylor, 45, during an argument at her home in Jarrow, South Tyneside, on March 31.

Jurors at Newcastle Crown Court have already heard evidence from an ex-boyfriend of Lee, who said he was stabbed by her in the leg with a fork by her during a series of attacks that left him in fear of her.

Now, another ex has told how he was left bleeding after a knife attack he said Lee had subjected him to in 2018.

The man told the court he had known Lee from their schooldays and a relationship developed after they started chatting over Facebook in 2017.

He said a furious row developed in 2018, over accusations about him cheating, and Lee threw a bottle at him, which missed and hit the wall.

It was days after that argument, the man said Lee got into his house during the night and launched a violent attack.

He told jurors: "I woke up about half two, three in the morning. Nicola had come back to the flat and was hitting me."

The man said Lee was using her fist to his his head and added: "I jumped up out of bed. She went into the living room and I asked what was going on.

"She was in one, she was just raging.

"She went for me again, she swung for me, punched me and then tried to kick me. When she tried to kick me I grabbed her leg and took her to the floor."

The man said he kept Lee held down on the floor, where she was "struggling", "angry and shouting" until she started to calm.

He added: "She left to go to the toilet, she came back in and hit me, to the side of the head again, the left side, with her fist, just the once I think.

"I stood straight up and that's when she went back into the kitchen and grabbed a knife.

"It was in her right hand, pointing upwards.

"I grabbed her wrist, the hand she had the knife in, and pinned it to the side of the door.

"She grabbed my testicles. I was distracted from the knife at that point and when I glanced back the knife wasn't pointing upwards anymore, it was pointing down, she had changed the grip of it in her hand.

"I had cuts on my forearm. Two cuts."

The man said his arm was bleeding as a result of the cuts.

He added: "I banged her hand against the door so she let go of the knife.

"She grabbed a hammer off the bench and I swung the door shut."

The man said Lee started hitting the kitchen door with a hammer and he managed to wedge it shut then run out of the front door.

Lee of Thames Avenue, Jarrow, denies his murder and claimed Mr Taylor stabbed himself.

The trial continues.