A neighbour told a court how he helped disarm a man armed with a knife, who launched an attack on two women putting them in 'fear for their lives.'

Paul Brine, 66, is alleged to have carried out a knife attack on his estranged wife and her friend in an alleyway on Riverside Road after she rejected his pleas to have him back.

Norwich Crown Court heard Brine and his wife had been living apart for a few weeks after almost 40 years of marriage when he turned up to remonstrate with her in November, last year, and told her he was going to murder her.

Brine, of Randell Close, North Walsham, has denied attempted murder on November 8, last year.

He has however admitted one count of unlawful wounding against his wife's friend.

Giving evidence, Chris Chaplin, told a jury how he had heard screaming coming from the alleyway near his home and went to investigate after he realised "something bad" was happening.

He saw two women, one of whom he recognised as his neighbour, grappling with a man, and his neighbour had shouted: "He's got a knife."

At first he thought the women were trying to disarm the man because he was trying to self-harm but then realised the man was intending to harm the women with the knife.

He said: "Both ladies seemed in fear of their lives. That is when I approached the scene."

Mr Chaplin said his main concern was the knife as he saw neighbour was holding the weapon away from herself so he also grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it to make him drop it: "He did not want to let go of the knife."

He said both women were screaming and in a great deal of distress.

He said after a couple of seconds the man dropped the knife and said something like "I don't want you to leave me" before he walked off.

Mr Chaplin said he had picked up the knife and chucked it in his house to stop the man returning and using it again.

Mr Chaplin said he then realised both women were injured. "I could see there was a lot of blood."

He phoned 999 and gave help to the two women while they waited for emergency services.

Cross-examined by Andrew Thompson he denied he heard Brine say that he was going to kill himself. The trial continues.