A 35-year-old man "rolled onto" a four-inch knife while involved in a scuffle, claimed a witness for the defence of a man accused of stabbing.

Marekco Ratteray, 24, is accused of inflicting a two- to three-centimeter wound on Shawn Bascome, 35, during the incident in Rambling Lane, Pembroke.

Ratteray, of North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish, denies the charges and told a Supreme Court jury that he pulled the knife out of his pocket during the incident on September 13 last year because he was scared.

He alleged that Mr. Bascome had jumped him on three previous occasions and said he hoped the man would back down when he saw the knife. "He didn't stop, he rushed me," Ratteray said. "We fell to the floor and were wrestling. It happened so fast but I did not intend to stab him. We were scuffling on the ground and then he yelled that he had been cut. I wish it had never happened."

Ratteray said the fight stopped and he left the residence when Mr. Bascome said he had been hurt.

Ratteray also said he was not aware that the knife he held was considered a bladed article under new legislation. He told Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves he believed that "if the blade is smaller than the width of your palm, it's fine" and said he had the knife for work purposes.

Under cross examination by Crown counsel Robert Welling, he denied that he initiated the fight and denied that he also initiated fights with Mr. Bascome on three previous occasions.

The resident of the Rambling Lane home, where the alleged incident took place, told the court that he saw the fight.

"I saw Shawn rush (Ratteray) and then they fell to the ground and were wrestling," Malakahi Scradders told the court. "There was no swinging action or anything they were rolling around on the ground. He probably rolled on to it."

Mr. Welling asked if he had seen Ratteray's statement prior to the trial. "I didn't see it," he said. "I met his lawyer for the first time today. I came here to tell the truth."

The lawyers are due to give their closing arguments this morning.