A man accused of slashing a fellow drug user’s face and arm with a craft knife has been cleared of unlawfully wounding him.

During his three day trial at Ipswich Crown Court Scott Tyler claimed he was acting in self-defence when he inflicted a 15cm cut stretching from Darren Wooding’s ear to the corner of his mouth and a deep cut on his forearm.

The court heard that Mr Wooding had been taking cocaine in his flat in St Michael’s Close in Thetford with 44-year-old Tyler when Tyler had allegedly started acting strangely and accused him of stealing the remains of some of his drugs.

Voices became raised and after Mr Wooding tried to get Tyler to leave his flat Tyler had allegedly produced a craft knife and started waving it at Mr Wooding and threatening to slit his throat.

The court heard that the blade caused a deep cut in Mr Wooding’s forearm and he then suffered a 15cm cut stretching from his mouth to his ear which was so deep that his teeth were exposed.

Mr Wooding told the court that he believed that if he hadn’t moved away when he saw the blade coming towards him Tyler would have cut his throat.

Tyler, of Chester Way, Thetford, denied wounding Mr Wooding with intent to do him grievous bodily harm and unlawfully wounding him in July last year and was cleared by a jury of both offences.

The court heard that Tyler claimed he had acted in self-defence after Mr Wooding tried to attack him with an iron bar.