Aaron Johnston yesterday told a Supreme Court jury he was dazed, frightened and "went berserk'' trying to protect himself from further assault by 24-year-old Frederick Richardson.

Johnston, 40, is accused of wounding Richardson with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, unlawful wounding, and possession of an offensive weapon. He took the witness stand in his own defence on the second day of his trial before Puisne Judge Richard Ground.

The charges stem from an October 13, 1995, incident at the Devonshire Recreational Club. Police were called there shortly before midnight following reports of a stabbing. They found Richardson unconscious, lying in a pool of blood.

Witnesses testified that Richardson became verbally abusive and threatening when Johnston, a bartender at the club, decided to close the downstairs bar 15 minutes early.

Despite attempts by friends to distract Richardson he walked behind the bar and attacked Johnston as he was counting the day's receipts. Club treasurer Stephen Cuddington and Phillip Clark testified Richardson punched Johnston in the face.

Johnston responded by grabbing a paring knife from the bar and charging Richardson, stabbing the Pembroke resident three times and inflicting a near-fatal wound to the chest.

On the opening day of the trial Richardson apologised for his part telling Johnston "I'm sorry man. I didn't want any of this to happen.'' Under cross examination by Acting Senior Crown Counsel Khamisi M. Tokunbo, Johnston denied his reaction was out of proportion to the assault.

"Sometimes things happen and on the spur of the moment you react,'' Johnston told the Crown.

"There's nothing I can say or do to change that. The knife wasn't used to kill this guy. It was in my hands but I was only trying to stop him. Ten months down the road you can say that (it was out of proportion), but at the time it was different,'' he told the court.

Dr. Clarence James earlier testified the knife blow to the chest penetrated four to five inches, causing slow bleeding from the left ventricle into the pericardial sac, the membrane that surrounds the heart.

Richardson had to be flown by air ambulance to Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore and has since recovered from his injuries.

The trial resumes on Monday when Crown and Defence Counsel give their final summations.