getting even more bloody.

Denise Evans stopped her friend Alfred Thompson, 24, from wielding a knife after he was attacked by a man swinging a machete.

In Magistrates' Court Thompson told how Yusef DeSilva, 23, started arguing with him at Saltsea Lane, Somerset, last March.

"Yusef started accusing me of taking some money from him. He picked up a machete and he swung it, and it hit me on my right arm.'' Thompson then went to an apartment upstairs, from where Evans was watching the dispute.

Evans testified: "Alfie came upstairs. He was mad. He went into the closet and took out a knife.

"I told him to put back the knife, because if anything happened he would get in trouble. He put it back in the closet.

"I saw Yusef take two machetes. He said: `I'll chop you, bye. I'll kill you.' "He started swinging the machetes and Alfie started backing away. He put his hands up to protect himself and Yusef chopped him.

"I shouted at them to tell them to stop and they wouldn't stop, so I threw this chair that was on the porch at them.

"There was a scuffle for a while, then Yusef's father came out and took the machetes away from him.'' Thompson, who lives with Evans on Curving Avenue, Pembroke, told the court he was cut on the right arm and on four fingers.

DeSilva, of Cooks Hill, Somerset, admitted wounding Thompson. "I just wish to apologise, and apologise to the complainant,'' he said.

"I'm sorry for what happened, but I just lost my head at the time.'' Magistrate the Wor. John Judge told the two men: "I think you both owe a very great debt of gratitude t o Miss Evans, because if Mr. Thompson had come down with a knife we might have been dealing with a very much nastier case than this.'' He hoped DeSilva and Thompson, former friends, would be able to put the incident behind them.

He ordered a social inquiry report to check DeSilva would be suitable for a community service sentence.

The case was adjourned until October 28.